Keke Palmer, one of the hardest-working entertainers in Hollywood, has created a career taking opportunities outside of the traditional actor’s playbook. The actress, model, television host, producer, director, and everything in between lives up to the title multi-hyphenate and believes she has to if she wants to remain in control of her career.
In a recent post on social media, she encouraged her followers to do the same.
According to a tweet she made during the holiday season, the mother of one seems to stand by the “Jack of all trades” model. In its original form, the saying goes, “Jack of all trades master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.”
First, she asked people what they believed about “side hustles and multiple streams of revenue.”
“I feel like they are necessary and the only way to create a sense of personal power in the workplace,” she posted on X. “It would be nice to have one job but I feel like depending on one source of income leaves you with zero autonomy.”
Not everyone cottoned to her grind philosophy, saying it feeds into the stereotype that Americans don’t enjoy life and only care about the bag.
It’s hard to think that Keke Palmer doesn’t find joy in her hustles.
While the world admires her for starring in over 20 movies, where she took the lead in eight and contributed to a combined box office revenue of approximately $1,114,322,982, she has diversified her portfolio by adding other gigs to her résumé.
In 2014 she made history by becoming the youngest talk show host in American television when she added “Just Keke” to her repertoire on BET. This milestone paved the way for her to join the third hour of “Good Morning America” for the “Strahan, Sara, and Keke” segment as a host, providing a steady income that the project-by-project nature of acting did not guarantee.
The other hustle that Keke Palmer exploits is endorsement deals. Most recently, she has put her name behind three major brands: Googlr, HelloFresh and Zenni.
By being a face for Google and the U.S. Black Chambers, she helped push the organizations’ campaign to promote Black businesses during Black Friday.
The campaign had Keke Palmer star in a music-video-inspired film directed by Andre Muir and produced by Google Brand Studio, paying homage to house music legend Crystal Waters and her hit song, “100% Pure Love.”
For the ad, she modified lyrics and belted “100 percent Black-owned.”
When her driver mentions that it’s Black Friday, Palmer enthusiastically declares, “It’s Black-Owned Friday, Fred!” She then says, “Let’s go on ahead and get us a Black-owned coffee. Matter of fact, I want everything Black-owned today, Fred. Ya feel me?”
Fred cheekily answers, “100 percent.”
Most recently, she linked with Hello Fresh, the world’s leading meal kit company, to announce their new partnership. This hustle, which will feature her in a series of commercials, aligns perfectly with her lifestyle as a busy new mom.
Outside of her “hustles,” the businesswoman owns a production company with her mother, Sharon Palmer, called Big Boss Entertainment.
Her first major project, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is with Kevin Hart and called “The Backup,” through Universal Studios.
This is in addition to her digital platform, Key-TV. The digital network hopes to open doors for creatives.
She took to Instagram to promote her venture, first separating “Lauren Palmer,” her real name, from “Keke Palmer,” her stage name.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, but this is what I’m most proud of. Y’all always say I keep a job, now I’m making sure we ALL got one,” she said, adding, “Sharing the keys to the culture is my greatest gift — this is for you & for us, from me.”
It seems like Keke Palmer has this hustle thing down to a T.
