Keke Palmer is opening up about the unexpected way Will Smith helped to change the trajectory of her career ― as well as her relationship with her family.
Appearing on “The Toast” podcast Tuesday, Palmer recalled a voicemail she received from Smith years ago when she was thinking about emancipating herself from her parents, Sharon and Larry.
The Illinois native, who rose to fame as a child actor in films like “Akeelah and the Bee,” said she sought out the advice of an attorney shortly after turning 17, as her relationship with her parents became strained.
Weeks later, she was on the set of the Nickelodeon series “True Jackson, VP” when she said she received a phone call from a “really, really obscure number.” When she listened to her voicemail afterward, she was shocked to discover that the caller had been Smith.
Doing her best impression of the “Men in Black” actor, Palmer said he told her: “Hey, Keke. It’s Will. We’re over here doing ‘Karate Kid’ with Jaden. I just want to let you know that I talked to [your lawyer]. He let me know everything you’re going through, and I want you to know sometimes it’s hard being the first, but you’ll get through.”
She also recalled Smith encouraging her to “just keep staying focused, love on your family, and y’all gonna be good,” which wound up being her most profound takeaway from the message.
Ultimately, Palmer chose not to pursue emancipation from her parents. In hindsight, she believes anyone who is a “first” in their family could benefit from her example.
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“You could be a child entertainer or you could be the first person in your family to go to college or the first person in your family to get married,” she explained. “There’s so many firsts that can happen as the generations of your family continue to grow and evolve, and this was a difficult thing for me that I felt meant that I had to throw my family away.”
These days, Palmer also credits her parents with helping to establish a support network around her as she became famous.
“I had a good community, that also my parents made sure I was around, that would encourage community and not dissension and us breaking apart, which I think, honestly, a lot of times happens when you’re a kid entertainer,” she said, “because people want to make money off of you, and they don’t want you close to your family.”
Listen to Keke Palmer’s “The Toast” interview below. Her remarks about Will Smith begin around the 1:01:22 mark.