Falling Out, Falling in Love, and Falling for the Wrong Sign with Rickey Thompson

Alright y’all, let’s talk about it—friendship breakups—they are not fun, but baby, they are REAL. Today, Vine legend and fashion icon Rickey Thompson is joining us, and we are getting into it. From his falling out with Denzel Dion to wild nights with Rihanna in Barbados (yes, that Rihanna!), and why true love is still hiding from him—we are covering it all. Plus, you know Rickey’s got thoughts—so he’s giving us the tea on the best and worst zodiac signs to date, party with, and avoid at all costs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Keke Palmer?

  This episode is sponsored by Airbnb. Y'all, when spring hits and nature starts calling my name, you know I am headed straight to Airbnb to find the most loved homes to scratch my outdoor z itch. Now, let's get into it, baby.

• 0:18Keke Palmer?

  Hey, hey, hey, listeners. It's your girl, Keke Palmer, back again like your most loyal group chat. And today, we're talking all things friendship, the real tea on keeping your circle tight, navigating fallouts without having yourself fall apart, and turning friend drama into character development, honey. And who better to break it all down with me than one of the most hilarious creators, Ricky Thompson? We're also getting into everything from what it means to him to stay relevant and how he does it so effortlessly, to dealing with bullies and online haters. So grab your ride or dies, text that friend you've been meaning to check in on, and settle in, because, baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 1:25Keke Palmer?

  All right now, y'all. My guest today is a certified internet icon, a fashion killer, and one of the funniest people to ever hit your social feed. You know him from his viral rants, his flawless fits, and everything is always on 1,000. He's gone from Vine superstar to booking major fashion campaigns and becoming a whole brand on his own. Ricky Thompson, welcome to the show. Hey.

• 1:52Speaker 01

  Hey, girla.

• 1:52Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. Okay. Like, I'm just so glad about this moment because back in 2020, I tweeted, "If I were to create a millennial The View, who would you want to be my co-stars?" And everybody was saying Ricky.

• 2:02Speaker 01

  Everyone did that.

• 2:03Keke Palmer?

  So, here we are together and the world can finally see how we vibe and get on. Okay, so it's a match. And I know you're an Aquarius.

• 2:10Speaker 01

  I am.

• 2:10Keke Palmer?

  I'm a Virgo. We can get really nerdy in the human experience of life. And how we feel and who we are.

• 2:16Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:16Keke Palmer?

  So, it's gonna be a good conversation. I'm so happy that you're here.

• 2:18Speaker 01

  I'm so happy to be here, girl.

• 2:20Keke Palmer?

  And I just seen you. We were at the... What was that we were at in New York together?

• 2:23Speaker 01

  Um, the Cut.

• 2:24Keke Palmer?

  We're getting it up. But now, you're kind of over New York, you're telling me.

• 2:27Speaker 01

  I'm just a tinge. I'm over it. I'm over it.

• 2:29Keke Palmer?

  How long were you over there?

• 2:30Speaker 01

  I was there for about 10 months. I was there 10 months. I moved out there last spring.

• 2:36Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 2:36Speaker 01

  And I was like, "Okay, cute. I really wanna try New York." I was like, "Okay."

• 2:39Keke Palmer?

  What prompted the move?

• 2:40Speaker 01

  Well, I was tired of LA.

• 2:42Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 2:42Speaker 01

  I mean, I've been here for 10 years, you know? And I feel like I was doing the same thing over and over again. And I was like, "Girl, I want something different. I need the city. I need the big lights. I need all of that."

• 2:50Keke Palmer?

  What do you think is the biggest difference of the Ricky in New York and the Ricky in LA?

• 2:54Speaker 01

  Um, I was the Ricky in New York. He was really trying to find himself out there. I know myself here. It's so hard to find yourself in New York. I had not a lot of friends out there. All my good girls are out here.

• 3:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 3:06Speaker 01

  So, making friends out there was very difficult. You know, the nightlife is so crazy.

• 3:11Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, what is the nightlife out there? Because I feel like I don't even know the nightlife in LA anymore.

• 3:15Speaker 01

  Girl, it's popping over here now. I'm like, "I live."

• 3:17Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 3:17Speaker 01

  Yes, girl, yes.

• 3:18Keke Palmer?

  So, are we talking clubs or are we talking dining out, lounge?

• 3:20Speaker 01

  Um, both. Both. Both. Yes, it's cute here. So, in LA, you could go away for a week.

• 3:25Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 3:25Speaker 01

  And people would still remember you.

• 3:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 3:27Speaker 01

  You go away in New York for a week, they forget about you. You have to be out all the time.

• 3:31Keke Palmer?

  Oh, no, no, no, no, no. And who's doing that?

• 3:33Speaker 01

  I know, girl.

• 3:33Keke Palmer?

  I'm tired.

• 3:34Speaker 01

  Todd!

• 3:36Keke Palmer?

  Seriously.

• 3:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 3:37Keke Palmer?

  Well, I mean, you've been going everywhere, doing everything. Because I also saw you with my main girl, Rihanna, in Barbados. What was that giving?

• 3:42Speaker 01

  Yes, girla. Oh, my God, that was so fun.

• 3:44Keke Palmer?

  I live for girla, by the way. Yes, girla.

• 3:46Speaker 01

  I said, "Oh, Tom, girl, ah."

• 3:48Keke Palmer?

  That's everything, girl, ah.

• 3:50Speaker 01

  Girl, ah.

• 3:51Keke Palmer?

  Everything.

• 3:52Speaker 01

  Yes, it was so much fun. Um, when I got the call and I heard she like handpicked the people she wanted to come with her to Barbados, I said, "Girl, I'm there." It was so much fun, you know, just hanging out with her team, hanging out with her.

• 4:02Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 4:02Speaker 01

  In her country, like, girl, I live.

• 4:04Keke Palmer?

  I mean, how does it feel? Because I feel like everybody lives for you. You were just in denial as a river.

• 4:08Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 4:08Keke Palmer?

  You were, you were the other man.

• 4:09Speaker 01

  Yes, I was, I was, I was.

• 4:10Keke Palmer?

  What was that giving? How was it working with Dochi? She's incredible. Like, the girls are always living for you. You're always the moment.

• 4:17Speaker 01

  Oh, thank you.

• 4:18Keke Palmer?

  You're welcome.

• 4:18Speaker 01

  Girl, thank you.

• 4:19Keke Palmer?

  Girl, ah.

• 4:22Speaker 01

  Coming from you, that means so much.

• 4:23Keke Palmer?

  It's true.

• 4:24Speaker 01

  But I love Dochi so much. I've been a fan of her for years. I'm just so happy that finally she's getting her flowers. But girl, deserves it. Come on.

• 4:30Keke Palmer?

  No, she absolutely does. I love the success and I like the creativity behind it all, too.

• 4:34Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

• 4:35Keke Palmer?

  That's dope, it's a story that's being told that I can dive into.

• 4:37Speaker 01

  I know, girl, yes.

• 4:38Keke Palmer?

  So, I want to talk about, we said what we said, your podcast that you did with Denzel.

• 4:43Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 4:43Keke Palmer?

  How did y'all become friends?

• 4:45Speaker 01

  Oh, my gosh, girl, it was love at first sight. It was love at first sight. We were on Vine together.

• 4:49Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 4:49Speaker 01

  And I remember there was this big festival. I don't know if you know this, but it was like a Digi Fest. It was like where all the people would pay, like, all around the world to go see their favorite social media creator.

• 4:57Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 4:58Speaker 01

  They had it in New York at Citi Field. So, we all went there and I DM'd him on Vine and I was like, "I love you. I think you're so funny. Like, I think we should be friends." He's like, "Okay, cool." As soon as I saw him, girl, I ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug. We've been friends ever since then.

• 5:09Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. And so, what was the journey like for you guys becoming internet sensations? Like, was it something that you were focused on strategically? Because I feel like me and you have a similar personality where it's like, I'm performing, but also I'm the mastermind of the performance.

• 5:22Speaker 01

  Exactly, exactly.

• 5:23Keke Palmer?

  So, how much of that strategy did you guys develop together with how to, you know, build your careers?

• 5:28Speaker 01

  Well, I mean, I'm very thankful because he's been in my life for so long. He's really kept me grounded because social media is a very difficult thing.

• 5:35Keke Palmer?

  It is.

• 5:36Speaker 01

  And also with social media, this is not what I wanted to do, by the way. This was not my plan at all.

• 5:40Keke Palmer?

  What did you see?

• 5:40Speaker 01

  Girl, I saw myself being an actor. That's why I did it.

• 5:43Keke Palmer?

  You're still acting.

• 5:44Speaker 01

  Hello, I am, I am, I am.

• 5:45Keke Palmer?

  In your own unique box.

• 5:46Speaker 01

  You know, but I said, "I wanted to, so I'd get my name out there."

• 5:48Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 5:48Speaker 01

  And, you know, that would get the girls talking. And it definitely did work, honey.

• 5:52Keke Palmer?

  It definitely did.

• 5:52Speaker 01

  It definitely did.

• 5:53Keke Palmer?

  Honestly, even me starting in traditional, my resurgence. Through social media, it was the same game plan.

• 5:58Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:58Keke Palmer?

  It was how to refocus who I am in this industry so that I can get the roles that I want to get. So, I mean, it's a great plan and it's worked for us both.

• 6:07Speaker 01

  Period. Yes, it did. Girl, ah.

• 6:09Keke Palmer?

  No, seriously, girl, ah. But obviously, over the course of your success, I think that puts tension on

• 6:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 6:15Keke Palmer?

  all relationships, not just the ones that are in front of the public, but obviously, yes, you and Denzel. And so, there was a moment where you guys kind of fell out. And I want to know what, it's hard to say what happened, but like, what happened?

• 6:26Speaker 01

  So, you know, basically with us, we just had like a petty argument. And it was like, but honestly, me and him talked about it. We were like glad that it did happen.

• 6:35Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 6:35Speaker 01

  Because we got to figure out ourselves. Like, I felt like a lot of times, people just put us together all the time, which is great. Um, you know, but we want to do our own thing.

• 6:43Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 6:43Speaker 01

  You know, he, he, one thing I would always laugh, he would say, he was like, Ricky, we're not T N Tamara.

• 6:48Keke Palmer?

  But y'all are, Kedney K.

• 6:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, he was like, we're not, we're not giving twin up, you know what I mean?

• 6:54Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 6:54Speaker 01

  You know, it's just giving, so it happened and we came back and we're stronger than ever, girl. That is my rock. I love that man down, girl.

• 7:01Keke Palmer?

  How was it going through the social media stuff of that, of now y'all are laughing at shit? We don't want y'all to laugh at it. Oh, it's because you're jealous of you or it's because, like, like, how was that? Because it's a petty argument, but then y'all making it bigger than what it is.

• 7:14Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 7:16Keke Palmer?

  Bringing up stuff that we didn't even know was underneath.

• 7:19Speaker 01

  Exactly. Like, people are messing around, taking like podcast clips, like, oh, look how he said this. They had a beat falling out this time. It wasn't like that. It made me so mad because I am someone who doesn't interact on hate on social media at all.

• 7:30Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 7:30Speaker 01

  Like, I don't. I never feed in. I'm not the type to get on TikTok and like, let's set the record straight. Uh-uh, I'll let you think what you think, girl. That's, that's me. But, um, it was annoying, you know?

• 7:38Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 7:39Speaker 01

  But we had to ignore it and then now we're better than ever.

• 7:41Keke Palmer?

  Who initiated the getting back?

• 7:43Speaker 01

  Denzel.

• 7:44Keke Palmer?

  What sign is Denzel?

• 7:45Speaker 01

  A Capricorn.

• 7:46Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 7:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:49Speaker 01

  It was, I was scared to contact him cuz I didn't know cuz and when we had the argument, girl, I thought he was just done with me, girl. I thought we were done. I felt like that was the end of our friendship.

• 7:59Keke Palmer?

  And was it based in business or was it based in like just typical friendship? Oh, you didn't hit me back or what's going on and it was just like that?

• 8:06Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. It was such a petty argument, girl, and I just felt like, I was like, dang, I was like, do you hate me? He's like, girl, I can never hate you. We like, we brothers. Come on now. You know, I was so scared. I was so scared.

• 8:17Keke Palmer?

  And so what does that make you guys feel like with the podcast? Like, is it just done? Is it coming back?

• 8:22Speaker 01

  The podcast is done.

• 8:23Keke Palmer?

  It's done now.

• 8:24Speaker 01

  But it's not beef. There's no beef. It's just we want to do something bigger now, you know? So, yes.

• 8:29Keke Palmer?

  So there's something cooking is what I'm hearing.

• 8:32Speaker 01

  Yes, it is, darling.

• 8:32Keke Palmer?

  Oh, yes. So it's almost like, okay, the argument happened. We had whatever our personal stuff was, but also it provided a space for evolution.

• 8:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:41Keke Palmer?

  We wanna even move past and go beyond.

• 8:43Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 8:43Keke Palmer?

  Where we last left off.

• 8:44Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

• 8:45Keke Palmer?

  Okay, well, that's really amazing. I mean, how does that make you think in terms of having that situation go down? How do you feel about working with friends? And I say this because when I was growing up, the only person that I would do business with that I knew like that was my mom.

• 8:56Speaker 01

  Uh-huh.

• 8:57Keke Palmer?

  And also, I was a little kid. Like, how am I gonna be friends really with the people that I'm working with? They're much older than me. But as I've gotten older, you know, I remember I was working with Awesomeness TV. That's where I met my best friend and partner. You know.

• 9:07Speaker 01

  Yo, I know, girl.

• 9:11Keke Palmer?

  And we became best friends and business partners. And it is nerve wracking sometimes when I'm like, if I lose her and to be, like, I don't want, you know, so what are your thoughts around that? Does it make you lean more into working with friends? Are you more careful about that?

• 9:25Speaker 01

  Honestly, truly, I would only work with Jindal. I would only work, I would only work with him, only because I feel like we've been through so much together. I just don't see myself going down the path with any other friend with business, you know? We know each other. Like, I know him, he knows me. So that's why, like, girl, fabulous.

• 9:42Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. Yeah, cuz it is tough sometimes working with friends and how that all puts the weight on.

• 9:46Speaker 01

  They change, girl. They change. I'm like, ooh, you know?

• 9:49Keke Palmer?

  Yes, yes. It's true. The girls do change, especially with success.

• 9:52Speaker 01

  Yeah. Girl, right. Especially if you give them a success.

• 9:55Keke Palmer?

  Now, wait a minute. Wake that tea up.

• 9:57Speaker 01

  Girl. Come on now, girl. Girl, ah, girl, yes.

• 10:02Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, that's crazy. Now, you've spoken a lot about your romantic relationships, or the lack of their, uh, honey, because, and I feel the same way. I'm wondering for you, if you have the same thing that I have, where people want us to show up as who we are online?

• 10:15Speaker 01

  Yes. Oh, my gosh, yes, girl, yes. The last guy I was dating, I'll never forget this, I met his parents, and, um, his dad was like, "Wow, this isn't the Ricky I thought I would meet, where it's loudness." Girl, I felt so sick.

• 10:28Keke Palmer?

  I'm not here to tap dance for you.

• 10:29Speaker 01

  Literally, girl. I was like, okay, all right. But, yeah, people think they're gonna get like, "Hey, hey, hey," all the time. No, I'm chill.

• 10:36Keke Palmer?

  That's exactly me, too. It's like, I'm literally, uh, people really do expect, "And the car!" And it's like, babe, I'm chilling, there's the gag.

• 10:43Speaker 01

  Literally.

• 10:44Keke Palmer?

  I'm just chilling, I'm vibed out, and it's hard to be able to let people know, like, that other side of you.

• 10:48Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

• 10:49Keke Palmer?

  It takes a second to break through that wall.

• 10:51Speaker 01

  Right.

• 10:51Keke Palmer?

  You said on Cammy Crawford's show, that you were a little frustrated with dating because you felt like you hadn't met the right person, but you really wanted to find someone.

• 10:59Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 10:59Keke Palmer?

  Where are you now with finding love? And how are you going about it? Because how do we, in this day and age? Like, I'm not about to get on Raya again.

• 11:06Speaker 01

  Oh, I'm on it now. Yes.

• 11:08Keke Palmer?

  But Raya turns into a networking thing.

• 11:09Speaker 01

  It does, it does. It's like, what do you do?

• 11:11Keke Palmer?

  Are we here to date?

• 11:11Speaker 01

  I know. I don't want that.

• 11:13Keke Palmer?

  Make bread.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  Um, ah, girl, Lord, I just want a man so bad, girl. I want a man so bad. And you know what? Can we normalize that? Because I'm getting sick and tired of the whole, like, "I'm single, I choose me, I want a man." Why could I have one?

• 11:26Keke Palmer?

  No, see, and by the way, I'd like a few.

• 11:28Speaker 01

  You know?

• 11:29Keke Palmer?

  If we're gonna put it all on the table, I would love that free love 70s, let's bring it back. I want a few of you, motherfuckers, because when one messes up, I wanna have another one to go to.

• 11:39Speaker 01

  Exactly. Keep on the back burner, girl. You know, hello.

• 11:41Keke Palmer?

  I love that you said that. I remember I was having a conversation with Nisi Nash, and she was like, "It's okay to ask for what you want."

• 11:46Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 11:46Keke Palmer?

  And the universe needs to hear you say it.

• 11:49Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 11:49Keke Palmer?

  So let's get into that, then. What is the kind of man that Ricky Thompson wants?

• 11:53Speaker 01

  Oh, my gosh, let me sit up for you, okay. He gotta be tall, girl, he gotta be tall.

• 11:55Keke Palmer?

  He got to be tall.

• 11:56Speaker 01

  I need to look up, not look down.

• 11:58Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 11:58Speaker 01

  Come on, girl. I need it. He's gotta be tall, he's gotta have, like, ambition. I don't wanna date anybody in the industry, unless he's bigger than me.

• 12:06Keke Palmer?

  Ooh, now, wait a minute, what's that, T?

• 12:08Speaker 01

  I need, like, a director, like a Steven Spielberg or something like that.

• 12:11Keke Palmer?

  I know, that's right, baby.

• 12:13Speaker 01

  You know, I need that.

• 12:13Keke Palmer?

  Not you and Ryan Murphy. I know he's married, but I could see you with that vibe.

• 12:17Speaker 01

  You know, I need that. Like, I'm sitting there, like, "Oh, the new protege," you know what I mean?

• 12:22Keke Palmer?

  When I tell you I'm living for the scenery of that?

• 12:24Speaker 01

  I need that, like I see it. Let you know we're at the Oscars, okay? Yeah, did you see me in his movie?

• 12:28Keke Palmer?

  Ricky, that gives me so much frickin' life.

• 12:31Speaker 01

  That's what I want.

• 12:31Keke Palmer?

  I really feel that. But I also feel you on the no industry. We're on the Meryl Streep where it's like you don't know who my husband is.

• 12:36Speaker 01

  Exactly, exactly.

• 12:37Keke Palmer?

  You don't even know if he's real or not.

• 12:39Speaker 01

  Yes, girl. He keeps the lights on this building, girl. That's what I want, girl. The type of man like that, that's business. That's what I want.

• 12:44Keke Palmer?

  Okay, personality vibe. What do we think? Is he serious? Is he funny?

• 12:47Speaker 01

  He's gotta be funny, but he can't be corny.

• 12:49Keke Palmer?

  Okay, so what's corny to you? Because you know corny ranges.

• 12:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, it does. Um, corny to me is someone who makes a joke out of everything. And it's a really bad joke. Because we can make jokes, though, but some people really can't, girl. I'm like, ooh, child. I'm like, girl, ooh, god, girl. So I can't do that. I can't do corny. I want him to be serious, but I want him to be able to hold me down. Like if I'm like, oh, crazy. Babe, calm down. Let's have a conversation.

• 13:15Keke Palmer?

  Now, wait a minute. You getting into the bag just got me a little hot.

• 13:18Speaker 01

  You see, ooh.

• 13:19Keke Palmer?

  Babe, calm down. Like, why was that everything it needed to be?

• 13:22Speaker 01

  Girl, that's what I need.

• 13:24Keke Palmer?

  This makes me ask, biggest crush growing up? I have to ask this to see what your type is.

• 13:28Speaker 01

  Oh, my god. Okay, biggest crush? I think my first crush was Usher.

• 13:32Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. So you're like a real sweet, pretty boy, chill, smooth vibe?

• 13:36Speaker 01

  Yes, I love me a pretty boy. I do. But also, I love me a roughneck, too.

• 13:40Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my god, roughneck? How we talking roughneck? Are we talking juvenile roughneck? DMX?

• 13:44Speaker 01

  Ooh, girl, DMX, girl. Ooh, that's real roughneck over there, girl. Ooh, I think I want like, I do like, um, let me see. I would do juvenile is cute. I don't, it's fabulous. You call fabulous a little bit, yeah.

• 13:57Keke Palmer?

  No, fabulous is absolutely a roughneck.

• 13:59Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 13:59Keke Palmer?

  Yes, absolutely. But also a playboy. It's giving roughneck playboy. I like a playboy, too, but don't play too damn much, boy.

• 14:07Speaker 01

  All right, period. Talk about it. Amen to that, girl. Ah, no, my.

• 14:17Keke Palmer?

  If these April showers got you feeling some type of way, your girl Kiki knows exactly what you need. Some time to reconnect with nature, courtesy of Airbnb. Whether you're craving a mountain escape where you can literally touch the clouds, or need to get your zen on in a desert oasis, these homes are giving return to nature realness in the best way possible. This time of year, I start getting antsy. Y'all know I've been working hard these past few months, and baby, me and Leo desperately need some time away. So what's a girl to do? Take myself on over to Airbnb to find a guest favorite home in the middle of nowhere. Right now, I got my eyes on a cute little cottage tucked away in the forest. I gotta make sure that the place is private, well-stocked, and cozy for the gods. Bonus points if it has a crystal clear view of the stars

• 15:02Keke Palmer?

  and a lake where I can get my fishing on. And if you're like me, Airbnb's got you covered whether you're trying to escape the mountains, forest, or yes, even the desert. We're talking authentic experiences with more space and more privacy in the most magical locations. Book your next adventure today and let nature do its thing.

• 15:23Keke Palmer?

  So what is your love? Are you into that? Have you heard of this love language thing? Okay, so what is your love language?

• 15:29Speaker 01

  I would say my love language is definitely touch. I love touch.

• 15:35Speaker 01

  I think another thing for me, I love things like words of affirmation. Like, I love a man that will wake me up and be like, "Today's gonna be a great day for you. You're gonna kill it, go out there," you know? I'm not, I don't like gifts a lot. I don't.

• 15:47Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 15:48Speaker 01

  Because if it's a bad gift, you really gonna get the real tea with me. I'm like, "Girl, uh-uh, girl, I know, thank you, return it."

• 15:54Keke Palmer?

  No, seriously.

• 15:55Speaker 01

  But you know, yeah, this is simple stuff like that, I would say. What are yours?

• 15:58Keke Palmer?

  Mine's are physical touch for sure. Definitely words of affirmation. Like, I like to hear and acts of service.

• 16:04Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 16:05Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, acts of service. Like, because I like to be of service to people. So if somebody is like, "Hey, by the way, I made you coffee." You know, "Oh yeah, you know, I went out and I got this, you know, for you because I know you're gonna have to run out quick."

• 16:16Speaker 01

  The way I would fold so quick.

• 16:17Keke Palmer?

  No, seriously. Like, someone to think about me and be thoughtful to me, like I'm being thoughtful to them. I think that's like, again, the simple thing. Do you know your big three, by the way?

• 16:26Speaker 01

  I do.

• 16:27Keke Palmer?

  What is that?

• 16:28Speaker 01

  I'm an Aquarius, Virgo.

• 16:31Speaker 01

  Scorpio.

• 16:32Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 16:32Speaker 01

  Isn't that crazy?

• 16:33Keke Palmer?

  Now, which is which? Are you the Virgo rising or are you the Virgo, uh, moon?

• 16:36Speaker 01

  Uh, Virgo rising.

• 16:38Keke Palmer?

  Okay, and then your moon is Scorpio. Oh my gosh.

• 16:40Speaker 01

  Yes, girl.

• 16:41Keke Palmer?

  Because I feel that the energy between us is so.

• 16:44Speaker 01

  Yup.

• 16:44Keke Palmer?

  Vibe in. I'm a Sagittarius moon. And I'm a Cancer rising.

• 16:49Speaker 01

  Oh, girl on.

• 16:51Keke Palmer?

  Girl on. Yes.

• 16:54Speaker 01

  I love that.

• 16:55Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, you know.

• 16:56Speaker 01

  I love my big three.

• 16:57Keke Palmer?

  I love my big three too.

• 16:59Speaker 01

  Like, I don't hate on it. I'm like, I get it.

• 17:00Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 17:01Speaker 01

  But I hate that my Venus is in Pisces.

• 17:03Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh. My Venus is in Cancer. Why do you hate that yours is in Pisces though?

• 17:07Speaker 01

  Because God won't love so bad. God fall in love quickly, girl.

• 17:10Keke Palmer?

  It's the hopeless romantic team.

• 17:12Speaker 01

  Yes, yes. But I can fall out of love very fast, too.

• 17:15Keke Palmer?

  Ooh, well, that's great.

• 17:16Speaker 01

  I love it.

• 17:16Keke Palmer?

  Because I feel like I take, let me think. I think I do kind of fall in love quick and I, I'm also, tell me what you, how you are with relationships. I try to get the other person to break up with me.

• 17:26Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 17:27Keke Palmer?

  A lot of times.

• 17:28Speaker 01

  Really?

• 17:29Keke Palmer?

  I do because it's so hard.

• 17:31Speaker 01

  No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

• 17:34Keke Palmer?

  Because it's hard for me to say goodbye.

• 17:36Speaker 01

  You really?

• 17:42Keke Palmer?

  I'm like scared and so I, I find myself being like, we're done and they'll be like, we'll get into a conflict and we're somehow back together again.

• 17:48Speaker 01

  How you do that, girl?

• 17:49Keke Palmer?

  Because they don't want to leave me and I want you to go.

• 17:52Speaker 01

  They don't want to leave this.

• 17:53Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 17:56Keke Palmer?

  But it's a mess and don't know how to hold space for me.

• 17:59Speaker 01

  Girl, I know how to, every, every guy I've dated, I've broken up with them.

• 18:01Keke Palmer?

  Oh, period.

• 18:02Speaker 01

  I've been broken up with, girl. But the thing is with me, here's my issue, girl. I break out, but I love to spin the block.

• 18:08Keke Palmer?

  Oh.

• 18:09Speaker 01

  I'm messy. I've had my ex be like, Ricky enough. I'm like, okay, sorry.

• 18:13Keke Palmer?

  So, how do you spin the block? Like, is it a call? Is it a popped up where you're at? What is the process of spinning the block for you?

• 18:20Speaker 01

  Oh, gosh, girl. I be just, I be at my home, girl. I'm just like thinking. I post my, I'm like, oh, I really do miss him. And then they'll like the story because they know I'm talking about them, girl. They know, they know, know.

• 18:29Keke Palmer?

  Come on, games.

• 18:30Speaker 01

  I'm like, hey, what's up with you? I'm like, ah. But then I wake up, I'm like, why'd I do that?

• 18:37Keke Palmer?

  You know, I hate the feeling of regret.

• 18:39Speaker 01

  I hate it, but it's like, I love spinning the block because it's something that I know.

• 18:43Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and who wants to add another to the list?

• 18:45Speaker 01

  Literally, girl.

• 18:46Keke Palmer?

  Jeez Louise.

• 18:47Speaker 01

  You need to know them over.

• 18:48Keke Palmer?

  What's your favorite color?

• 18:49Speaker 01

  Literally.

• 18:50Keke Palmer?

  Black. Like, this loop past all this shit.

• 18:53Speaker 01

  I'm over it, but you know, hey, I need to stop spinning the block, girl, it's not healthy.

• 18:55Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, but I mean, I don't know, is it unhealthy unless they really did something bad? Otherwise, I feel like it is a safe bet.

• 19:02Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 19:02Keke Palmer?

  I have spun the block, but this is the thing. It's usually a loop that's happening all in the same moment. If I've moved on and went to somebody else, I'm not gonna spin the block to the person before.

• 19:12Speaker 01

  Really?

• 19:12Keke Palmer?

  No, because literally if I left, it's because I'm dead on you.

• 19:15Speaker 01

  Oh, wow.

• 19:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I'm when.

• 19:17Speaker 01

  Period, girl.

• 19:18Keke Palmer?

  When I'm done, it's because I be.

• 19:19Speaker 01

  You're done?

• 19:20Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 19:20Speaker 01

  Girl.

• 19:21Keke Palmer?

  And that's why I be like, don't push me there, don't push me to the edge.

• 19:24Speaker 01

  Cause I'm about to be out, girl.

• 19:25Keke Palmer?

  Cause I'm about to be out.

• 19:26Speaker 01

  I wish I could do that with me, it's like, if nothing bad happened and I could mess her into a relationship for four, five, six, seven years, girl, I would spin the block with somebody I was dating 10 years ago.

• 19:36Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 19:38Speaker 01

  So you look very nice. He said, dang, where you been?

• 19:42Keke Palmer?

  I live. Okay, I have to talk about when you were a kid because you said you were shy.

• 19:46Speaker 01

  Oh, girl, yes, painfully.

• 19:47Keke Palmer?

  And like, it's like funny, right? I think that people that are hilarious or sometimes they have these external personalities, and I speak to this because I'm one of those people as well. We sometimes are really serious.

• 19:57Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 19:57Keke Palmer?

  And it's not, but we don't show that. So how did you come into the fact that this is how you wanted to show up in the world? How did you choose to say, well, I have all this going on internally, but I wanna be this? How did you decide?

• 20:08Speaker 01

  Um, definitely acting. Acting really helped me, yeah. Like, I've been in theater since I was like six years old. So yes, I'm a theater kid down, honey. Yes.

• 20:17Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, I did not know that.

• 20:19Speaker 01

  Down. I've been acting in theater since I was six years old, and you know, that really brought it out of me. Like, I was a kid who was terrified, but I got on that stage, girl. It all just came out.

• 20:28Keke Palmer?

  Honey, I was the same way in church. So it's like, I wasn't shy necessarily, but I was always observing, very, very zoomed out, and very serious in my internal thoughts, but then I saw like, I can make the world my stage.

• 20:40Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 20:41Keke Palmer?

  And then that became who I am.

• 20:42Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 20:42Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean?

• 20:43Speaker 01

  Look at us.

• 20:44Keke Palmer?

  Okay, so what you think made you shy as a kid? What were you, what was the reason why you kinda stood back?

• 20:49Speaker 01

  Um, I was bullied. Bullied down, girl. I was bullied so bad in school.

• 20:53Keke Palmer?

  What were you bullied for?

• 20:54Speaker 01

  Just being gay.

• 20:56Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 20:57Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. Being gay, having girlfriends. Girl, I used to get trash canned. Yeah, girl.

• 21:01Keke Palmer?

  What do you mean? Like, they would put you, like, like the TV show?

• 21:04Speaker 01

  Yes, girl. I used to be in the hallway, girl, with a big book bag on, girl. The jocks would come in there, put me in the trash can. Yes, girl.

• 21:09Keke Palmer?

  And were you out? Like, were you like, "I'm gay"?

• 21:10Speaker 01

  I wasn't out, but they knew.

• 21:12Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 21:12Speaker 01

  They knew. They were like, "Oh, yeah, that boy right there, he got a little sugar in his thing." You know how they say that.

• 21:15Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, back in the day, exactly.

• 21:17Speaker 01

  Little sugar they say. So, yeah, girl, yeah.

• 21:19Keke Palmer?

  What age was this? High school?

• 21:21Speaker 01

  This was all, like, elementary, middle, high school. I stopped getting bullied my junior year in high school because I did Vine. And people were like, "Oh, my God, he's a celebrity." In, like, my town, but, girl, all through that time, bullied down.

• 21:33Keke Palmer?

  Would you tell your parents? Or what was your home life? Like, how did you deal with that?

• 21:36Speaker 01

  Uh, my mom felt bad. My dad felt bad because, you know, they would come to the school, but the teacher didn't really do anything. And, like, as being parents, you can't, like, fight the bully. So, it's like, what can I do? They put me in karate. I tried to do that, but I don't wanna fight nobody. I'm not gonna fight them.

• 21:50Keke Palmer?

  Come on, I tried to do that?

• 21:50Speaker 01

  Yeah, girl.

• 21:51Keke Palmer?

  I love the scene of them about to do the trash can, and you like...

• 21:55Speaker 01

  Girl, ready to go off, but I just, I'm not a fighter. That's not me.

• 21:58Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah. I mean, what would you say there to other people that are going through that? Because I feel like that's a difficulty, right? Like, how do I stop? I remember for me in school, when I would be getting bullied, I would, a lot of my bullying was racially charged.

• 22:09Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 22:09Keke Palmer?

  I was the only black kid in my class. And it was, and I was really little, like, six. How are people being? That's how you know structures and concepts are pushed on you at a young age, because these kids didn't know racism. They were taught it.

• 22:20Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 22:20Keke Palmer?

  And I remember going home, crying, trying to tell my mom, but like you said, I didn't know how to help it. Something just happened internally. I learned how to survive some way. And, yeah, maybe it was through performance. But I always wanna know, like, what do we say to the kid that haven't gotten there?

• 22:35Speaker 01

  I would just tell them that it's gonna get better in the future. I always told myself that. I don't know what it was, but I always envisioned this person. Always. I always saw this the person I would be. I remember that I was like, I would say like 12 years old. I got bullied so bad. And I came back home, I cried to my mom, looked at myself in the mirror, and I was like, "Look, it's gonna be okay in the future. You got this. Just keep your head up, girl."

• 22:58Keke Palmer?

  You know who that was? Again, I'm about to go super Aquarius Virgo, but that was, that was the you, the future you in the timeline reaching back.

• 23:06Speaker 01

  And I can't believe that.

• 23:07Keke Palmer?

  I know I went so meta, so interstellar with it, but that was the higher you. That was your future self being like, I got your back.

• 23:15Speaker 01

  I always say that to myself. I'm like, it makes me feel so thankful that I am who I am today because I remember that moment so vividly. And I was like, wow, girl, you helped yourself out. Okay, period.

• 23:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I love that. Now, you said something that I also really love that I feel the same way about when it comes to dating. You talked about it on Caller Daddy, which is that you don't want the person you're dating to be antagonized by the public. And I think that that's a hard thing to explain to the person you're dating when you are a popular person because their immediate thought is, oh, you want to hide me. You don't want the world to know we're together. Or you've got other people. But it's actually the opposite. I'm actually protecting you. Because once I put you up out here,

• 23:56Speaker 01

  Get ready.

• 23:57Keke Palmer?

  They about to, and you can't, everybody likes the sun until it burns their ass. So how has that been for you? And, you know, do you think that that could ever change? You think you would want to pop out at some point?

• 24:09Speaker 01

  No, no. I want to keep it a secret because also I don't want the man to embarrass me. That's my biggest fear. And any single time you pop out with a dude, he will embarrass you.

• 24:19Keke Palmer?

  What is that shit about?

• 24:20Speaker 01

  I don't know. I mean, damn.

• 24:22Keke Palmer?

  It's really crazy.

• 24:23Speaker 01

  But also, I talked about this the other day. I was like, what makes you upset as well? It's like when you pop out with somebody, these girls out here let a messer and dig up a skeleton you do not need to know about.

• 24:31Keke Palmer?

  And by the way, it gets to a point these days where it's like, guys, is it toxic or are we human?

• 24:36Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 24:38Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? It gets to a point where it's like, guys, who are we looking for?

• 24:42Speaker 01

  Literally, I'm like, please.

• 24:43Keke Palmer?

  Are we looking for Jesus?

• 24:44Speaker 01

  Literally.

• 24:44Keke Palmer?

  Because nobody is perfect for real.

• 24:46Speaker 01

  It's like, are you even happy that I'm in love?

• 24:48Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 24:49Speaker 01

  Not at all.

• 24:50Keke Palmer?

  Because they don't want to be in love because they've had all of these structural things that man can't do this, she can't do that. And that's why y'all ain't happy. Because the person you're describing is not, you ain't even that person.

• 25:00Speaker 01

  I know. I'm like, that's just sad.

• 25:01Keke Palmer?

  It's too much.

• 25:02Speaker 01

  It's just, girl, it's sad, girl, it's very sad.

• 25:05Keke Palmer?

  What are your hard lines? Is it, you cheated on me? Never again. Is it, you know, you can't, your kind of car you drive? Or, you know, what kind of job? Do you have any hard lines of no?

• 25:17Speaker 01

  Let me think. I'm sorry, I just cannot mess with a guy who ain't got no money. I can't do it, girl. I cannot do it, girl.

• 25:24Keke Palmer?

  No money or not as much money as you?

• 25:27Speaker 01

  No money.

• 25:28Keke Palmer?

  No money is crazy.

• 25:29Speaker 01

  You know, I can't do a guy who wants to mess her and live off my dime. That's not me, okay? I don't want that. I have no problem with a guy, you know, he's working on it. I love that. But like, I tell people this all the time. I don't care, like, if you buy me a Birkin bag, okay, woo, okay, whatever.

• 25:44Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's also ridiculous.

• 25:45Speaker 01

  I don't want that. Like, I don't care. If you do the simple things, cook me dinner, you know, open the door for me, girl. Call me an Uber. You know what I mean? Simple so that I can buy myself a Birkin bag, girl.

• 25:55Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 25:55Speaker 01

  You know, but I like the little things, so you know. I need that, I need that, I need that.

• 26:00Keke Palmer?

  Somebody that is, um, what's the word I'm looking for? I'm not sentimental, but just conscientious. Somebody thoughtful about what you can do. Make my life easier, boo.

• 26:07Speaker 01

  Literally.

• 26:07Keke Palmer?

  I don't want that drama.

• 26:08Speaker 01

  You know, yes, girl, yes.

• 26:10Keke Palmer?

  Now, you spoke about something else that I love, which is the concept that we all are dealing with in this entertainment age, but also specifically social media with this microwave of everything.

• 26:20Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:21Keke Palmer?

  The idea of being irrelevant.

• 26:25Keke Palmer?

  How do you deal with that, right? Because it can push us to... The thing is, is that you get popular by living in the flow.

• 26:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 26:33Keke Palmer?

  The excitement of creating this content and doing this thing and living in this moment. It doesn't last forever. You have to be inspired again. But when we're being asked to perform and being asked to be poppin' or whatever the hell, it's like now I'm pushing myself to do and create from a place that I don't know that is genuine.

• 26:51Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 26:51Keke Palmer?

  And so, it's this push and pull of, yeah, I gotta show up, but also I gotta show up with fervor.

• 26:56Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 26:57Keke Palmer?

  You know, so how do you balance that?

• 26:59Speaker 01

  Um, I would say, this moment in my life, I've been going through a lot of struggles with that. You know, I'm refining myself. I feel like, girl, I'm over here tired of reheating my nachos, girl. I'm over it, girl. I wanna do something different. I need something to stimulate me, you know?

• 27:14Keke Palmer?

  That's right.

• 27:15Speaker 01

  So it is very difficult. We live in a world now where things are so fast, girl. Trend, trend, trend, trend, trend, trend, trend. I'm getting tired of it.

• 27:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, no, it's true.

• 27:22Speaker 01

  So like, I'm at the point now where I'm trying to figure out, what does Ricky T do next?

• 27:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and going back to those early stages where you're talking about theater, you're talking about, you know, just the beginning of who you thought you were and who you wanted to be. This stop, this transition and this growth through social media, where do you see that next level for you?

• 27:39Speaker 01

  Acting, girl.

• 27:41Keke Palmer?

  What kind of roles?

• 27:42Speaker 01

  Girl, I wanna mess around just being anything, girl. Like, I need that, you know? I'm at a point now where I've done social media. I've been in the game for 10 years, girl. Still going, I'm really ready for that next step, girl. I'm ready to show the girls, not on the phone screen, but on the big screen.

• 27:55Keke Palmer?

  I know, that's right. Now, what's your process for auditioning? Have you auditioned for these?

• 27:58Speaker 01

  Oh, girl, let me tell you about it, girl. Okay, cuz I wanna ask you this, girl. How do you stay so strong in this acting world? Because here's my thing, this girl, I audition all the time.

• 28:07Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 28:07Speaker 01

  You know, I'll go in for a guest role, main role. I remember one time I went in for a show and I had one line, girl. They had me on hold for a month. I said, "I got it, got it." Then they tell me, "We love you, but we're going in a different direction." That's every email I get, girl. I'm getting no, no, no. And I've gotten so self-conscious about it.

• 28:24Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 28:24Speaker 01

  So, that helped me. How do you deal with that? Like, girl, I mean, now, girl, now she's book, book, book, book, book, book. I mean, girl, I'm gonna get like that, girl, come on.

• 28:32Keke Palmer?

  It's so funny that you say that because honestly, what I did was went to social media. Because that's what kept happening to me.

• 28:39Speaker 01

  No way!

• 28:39Keke Palmer?

  And it's not only that I went to social media, but I went to social media with a plan where I would produce the kind of work that I wanted to star in.

• 28:45Speaker 01

  Wow.

• 28:46Keke Palmer?

  And so, it's like, I hear this conversation a lot and I have this conversation a lot with people that have started in social media. And it's this push against, "I don't wanna be on, I don't wanna be in." But my advice would be to lean in harder and to produce traditional content on the format. And that that would be the drive. Because that's what I did. When I was doing traditional, they got tired of me. After True Jackson VP, they were like, "Okay, what's next? Who is she? What does she have to say?"

• 29:11Speaker 01

  Really?

• 29:11Keke Palmer?

  And they weren't giving me a vehicle to show them. Because they were doing the same thing as you're saying. I'm doing the auditions, I'm doing the stuff. And it's like, we don't know, we don't see it. And so, I started producing my own work. And I start taking what I was earning from social media, from my brand deals, and creating content. You know, I did Turned Up With The Taylors. That was something that was a character off my page.

• 29:29Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:30Keke Palmer?

  It turned into an Emmy. You know? And so, that's me leaning into the digital space further, but in a more traditional way. It's like, instead of doing a quick video where I'm like, "Ha, ha, ha," I'm actually giving you a full-fledged show.

• 29:43Speaker 01

  Wow, girl.

• 29:43Keke Palmer?

  And that's what I did with That's The Gag with Awesomeness TV. And at the end of That's The Gag, I hosted SNL. And it literally happened. Little manifestations.

• 29:53Speaker 01

  Girl.

• 29:53Keke Palmer?

  But yeah, I feel, I think that that's a big thing in general, not just for people on social media, not just people that are in traditional, but entertainers across the board.

• 30:01Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 30:01Keke Palmer?

  The real thing is creating our own stuff.

• 30:04Speaker 01

  Right.

• 30:05Keke Palmer?

  That's what we must do.

• 30:06Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 30:07Keke Palmer?

  Will Smith is not Will Smith because people gave him roles.

• 30:09Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 30:10Keke Palmer?

  Every movie that we've seen and that we loved of him, he produced. He has something to do with. And so I think that's the real tea.

• 30:17Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 30:18Keke Palmer?

  It's not just going in and saying, can I get the role, can I get the role? It's creating the role.

• 30:23Speaker 01

  Ooh, girl, you just spoke some wisdom in me, like honestly, because I just want the role so bad.

• 30:28Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 30:29Speaker 01

  Because I always tell myself, if once I get the role, I got it. Once I get my foot in the door, I got it. But I can't think like that.

• 30:34Keke Palmer?

  No, and when you were talking about you and Dizelle, it's like, whether it's with him or not, but if y'all are move, like, what, what, what's the movie? What's the story? What is the 20-minute thing that you guys are gonna do that we're gonna tune into? Whatever it is, if it's just you, him, or something y'all could do together, something you do separately.

• 30:49Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 30:49Keke Palmer?

  I'm leaned in, and I wanna know it from your perspective, because the truth about it is, is these people don't know what to do with you.

• 30:55Speaker 01

  Woo!

• 30:56Keke Palmer?

  They don't.

• 30:56Speaker 01

  You're right, you're true.

• 30:57Keke Palmer?

  You've got to show, I, I, it's so crazy too, when I look back, uh, when I started Key TV, I did commercials.

• 31:02Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 31:03Keke Palmer?

  And Key TV is, is kinda my version of Awesomeness TV.

• 31:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:06Keke Palmer?

  We, you know, support entrepreneurs all across the board, specifically BIPOC creators that are looking to collaborate with brands and get their, get their coins so they can create their stuff.

• 31:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 31:15Keke Palmer?

  I did a commercial for it, and literally, almost every brand company that I've worked with since then has ripped my commercial.

• 31:24Speaker 01

  Ah.

• 31:25Keke Palmer?

  And it's not a bad thing, it's a good, it's a good thing, and I say that to say like, it, it was a spark in me that helped me to know that, oh, I gotta keep telling them.

• 31:35Speaker 01

  Right.

• 31:35Keke Palmer?

  Who I am. I have to show the proof of concept.

• 31:38Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 31:39Keke Palmer?

  With my own dime, and if I gotta bet on myself, then I'ma do it every time.

• 31:43Speaker 01

  Dang.

• 31:43Keke Palmer?

  And so I think that's the thing.

• 31:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:45Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Like, it's like, making what it is that you wanna be in.

• 31:48Speaker 01

  Wow, girl, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, girl, wow, girl.

• 31:52Keke Palmer?

  Stop!

• 31:53Speaker 01

  Let me get home and write myself a script, girl, starring Ricky Thompson.

• 31:57Keke Palmer?

  You know what I'm saying, though?

• 31:58Speaker 01

  I love that, well, I needed that girl, thank, amen, hallelujah.

• 32:10Keke Palmer?

  You're from North Carolina.

• 32:11Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 32:12Keke Palmer?

  And you said, "As soon as I got on that plane and left my hometown airport and looked behind me, I was like, wow, I could finally be myself." What do you mean by that?

• 32:19Speaker 01

  Girl, in North Carolina, I could not be myself. I was closeted down. Closeted, girl.

• 32:23Keke Palmer?

  To your family?

• 32:24Speaker 01

  Everybody, everybody. Yeah, girl, I know.

• 32:26Keke Palmer?

  So what would you say?

• 32:28Speaker 01

  Girl, I had three girlfriends.

• 32:32Speaker 01

  Yes, girl, I had three girlfriends, yes.

• 32:34Keke Palmer?

  Well, sexuality is a spectrum.

• 32:35Speaker 01

  You know, girl, I knew I didn't like them girls. I knew I didn't, girl, but I was like, you know what? I gotta do it for my family, you know? Growing up, like, in the South, Christian household, girl, I was very scared. And I was just like, you know what? I'm gonna come out once I have my own money, you know? Because, and I hate that I thought that way about my parents, because they were like, "If you would've came out to us, we would've never kicked you out, we would've had your back." But I was like, "It's not about y'all." It was like going to school, you know? I hated all that type of stuff. But as soon as I left, um, North Carolina, I got to LA, and I was just like, "I'm gonna be me." And I love it. It made, like, I was crying when I touched down here.

• 33:09Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, that is just so... I'm just thinking about that experience of, like, hiding who you are and the weight of what that could feel like.

• 33:18Speaker 01

  For 18 years, girl, just quiet.

• 33:20Keke Palmer?

  But I think it's amazing because you didn't forget about you to yourself.

• 33:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 33:23Keke Palmer?

  Because I think, actually, that happens. You know, we tell ourselves a lie long enough, it's like, what's the truth?

• 33:28Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 33:29Keke Palmer?

  How did you hold on to the true piece of yourself? I mean, I guess it was that conversation you were saying earlier, where you're like, "This is who I am, really," kind of thing. How did you hold on?

• 33:38Speaker 01

  Ah, like, what do you mean? Like, what do you mean?

• 33:39Keke Palmer?

  How'd you hold on to you and know that one day you could be free? To be yourself without losing yourself and saying, "You know what? I'm gonna resign and just be this fake person."

• 33:47Speaker 01

  It's actually crazy. I really, okay, so when I was living back home, I did not know this would all happen. I had a plan that I would come out once my parents were gone, girl. That's, I thought, yes, I was gonna hold my secret that long. Yeah, girl, yep, yep.

• 34:03Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 34:03Speaker 01

  I know. It, like, it, my mom, when I told my mom that, it breaks her heart. She was like, yeah.

• 34:07Keke Palmer?

  That's what I'm saying, because I think that that's a lot of people, whether it is, whatever it could be with their identity that they're afraid to share with the world. It can be a resignation of, and then you forget.

• 34:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:17Keke Palmer?

  That that was, you know, that all these moments... Happened the moment that you said you would happen and you don't. And so I think it's really incredible and remarkable that not only did you say yes to you, but you said yes to you earlier than you do thought you would.

• 34:28Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 34:28Keke Palmer?

  And so what was that moment like with your parents when you finally did?

• 34:31Speaker 01

  Oh, my goodness. Oh, it was bad, girl. It was bad. It was bad, girl. So basically what happened was I came out online. I came out online. I remember I tweeted, I was like, I'm over hiding, guys. I'm gay. I remember tweeting that. And my dad's a barber. And a customer walked in and was like, congratulations on your son coming out. He said, excuse me? He was like, look, and showed my dad the tweet. My dad drove home, showed my mom. My mom called me. She was crying. She's like, how dare you? You tell the internet before you tell your family. It was so bad, but I just felt comfortable too because the internet was my life. So I was like, I'm tired of it, girl. So they were upset.

• 35:05Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 35:05Speaker 01

  They were upset for about two months. They were like, you know what? But then they came back around. They're like, we get it, so.

• 35:10Keke Palmer?

  Did your world change the way you thought it would? Meaning, obviously, there was the fears that came with it beforehand that stopped you or held you back. And then once you finally did, did the, were you like, damn, I was tripping over nothing? Or were you like, oh, it was a little bit like what I thought?

• 35:22Speaker 01

  No, girl, it was really good. I should have came out years ago, too. Grandma, I came out, they said, girl, we knew. I was like, oh, my God. And my friend's like, oh, finally. Oh, my God, girl. So I was like, okay, well, damn. Girl, I thought I was gonna have this moment. It's like, oh, my God, I didn't know. Because I posted a video on YouTube as well and all the comments. We knew the closet was glass. Girl, wave that rainbow flag. I said, dang, I was like, period, though. I don't love it.

• 35:47Keke Palmer?

  Girl, ah.

• 35:47Speaker 01

  Girl, ah.

• 35:48Keke Palmer?

  That girl, ah. I'm eating that up. That is so fab.

• 35:51Speaker 01

  Girl, ah.

• 35:53Keke Palmer?

  Now, you said that 2024 wasn't everything that you hoped it would be.

• 35:57Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 35:58Keke Palmer?

  What did you mean by that?

• 36:00Speaker 01

  Oh, my goodness. I think, um, career-wise, I got a new team. That was my main goal, girl.

• 36:07Keke Palmer?

  That team shit is a mess, ain't it?

• 36:08Speaker 01

  Girl.

• 36:10Keke Palmer?

  They don't want nothing but money for shit that you created.

• 36:12Speaker 01

  Literally, but I finally have a team that people actually care for me. Like, my PR girl's like one of my best friends, which I love. She looks out for me. Uh, my manager has been wanting me for years, and I finally am working with her. And these are people who care for me so much.

• 36:26Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 36:26Speaker 01

  Before, girl, I was just a cash cow.

• 36:28Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's right. Right.

• 36:29Speaker 01

  That's it. And you know, 2024, I finally have them and just, girl, just working for me, just amazing.

• 36:34Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I feel the same way. I feel like I really found an amazing team for myself about five, six years ago. And I mean, that's no disrespect to the teams I had before, but I do think it takes time to know what it is you need. And who it is you want to be so that you can get the right people to support you on that. You know, like, when I realized that I really wanted to focus on comedy and I wanted to really create this brand overall, then it made sense who I needed to work with and who was gonna help me get there. How you feeling about 2025 so far?

• 37:00Speaker 01

  Ooh, child. 2025, she's cute, she's cute, she's cute, but you know, I do want more for her. But we're not done yet, though.

• 37:06Keke Palmer?

  No, yeah, I mean, it's so the beginning of it.

• 37:08Speaker 01

  You know, you know, you know, but it's good, it's good. I just hope, you know, 2025, you know, I get my dream role. I get my man, girl. That's what I want, child, girl.

• 37:15Keke Palmer?

  I hope that, you know, I'm gonna pray that. I hope that we all get mans.

• 37:18Speaker 01

  Girl, we need it.

• 37:19Keke Palmer?

  Lots of mans.

• 37:20Speaker 01

  We need it.

• 37:20Keke Palmer?

  This summer, being sexy out here in these streets.

• 37:23Speaker 01

  Girl, yes, girl, I'm in the gym, girl, it's down, girl.

• 37:25Keke Palmer?

  Baby, I'm in that motherfucking gym. I tell you Pilates every morning, nonstop.

• 37:29Speaker 01

  Okay, girl, I hate it.

• 37:30Keke Palmer?

  Sweetie, but we're gonna, but you're snatched.

• 37:32Speaker 01

  Girl, I did Pilates, uh, two days ago.

• 37:34Keke Palmer?

  Well, and you don't like it?

• 37:35Speaker 01

  I don't like it. It's annoying.

• 37:37Keke Palmer?

  Well, it burns, it burns.

• 37:37Speaker 01

  You gotta roll your core in, girl, roll it in, girl. I ain't got time for all that, girl.

• 37:41Keke Palmer?

  You do have to roll that core. And they're like, suck your ribs in. And you're like, what the hell does that mean?

• 37:44Speaker 01

  Literally, girl. The stomach is tight, I see it.

• 37:46Keke Palmer?

  Baby, you see how I'm, I'm literally swimming in this earth.

• 37:50Speaker 01

  Girl, yes, girl, yes, you are, girl, la.

• 37:54Keke Palmer?

  Now, you ate them with the girl.

• 37:55Speaker 01

  Girl, la.

• 37:56Keke Palmer?

  The emphasis on la, separate.

• 38:00Keke Palmer?

  Ricky, kicking it with you is everything that I thought it would be.

• 38:02Speaker 01

  Oh, my God, I love you, girl.

• 38:03Keke Palmer?

  We have to do some more together.

• 38:05Speaker 01

  We do, girl. Are you in New York now?

• 38:07Keke Palmer?

  So I'm in LA mostly now. But you know, it's so funny when you were saying it because I want to be in New York more. I'm in Cali.

• 38:12Speaker 01

  You do?

• 38:12Keke Palmer?

  Baby, you do.

• 38:13Speaker 01

  You do, girl, la. You do.

• 38:16Keke Palmer?

  I love New York down.

• 38:19Speaker 01

  Why do you love it so much?

• 38:19Keke Palmer?

  Babe, you know, because I feel like I can be anonymous there. And what I mean by anonymous is like, it's not like I'm hiding and I'm trying to be unseen, but it's like, everybody got something going on there. And so it feels like no one cares about, in California and LA specifically, everybody cares about the industry. It's like the main thriving industry.

• 38:36Speaker 01

  Right, right, right, right.

• 38:37Keke Palmer?

  In New York, it's like they got Wall Street. They got theater, they got models, they got journalism. Like, a lot of things are thriving there.

• 38:44Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 38:45Keke Palmer?

  So when I step into the room, it's not, it's not all that tea. It's tea. It's like, maybe that's Keke Palmer, but it's also like, I'm so-and-so, and this is the world we're in. I get to step into something new.

• 38:54Speaker 01

  I live, girl, I live, girl. You in a room, so important, important people there, girl. Like, dang, you do this, you do that, like, I love it.

• 38:59Keke Palmer?

  I love it.

• 39:00Speaker 01

  L.A. is just the same people all the time. It's the same, they're like, girl, I didn't see you last week, child.

• 39:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 39:04Speaker 01

  You know what I mean? Like, girl.

• 39:05Keke Palmer?

  And the same conversations, and look, I do love L.A., we love L.A.

• 39:09Speaker 01

  We do.

• 39:09Keke Palmer?

  That's not a shit-on-L.A. moment. But I do feel like sometimes that's why I be wanting to be in New York, to get a break of, of.

• 39:14Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 39:15Keke Palmer?

  You know, when I was 21, that was when I actually got to spend time in New York. And I'm like, it actually helped me find myself.

• 39:20Speaker 01

  Oh, my gosh.

• 39:21Keke Palmer?

  To know that the center isn't of what I do. And it can be hard in L.A. with that.

• 39:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure.

• 39:26Keke Palmer?

  And then you feel like you chasing something.

• 39:27Speaker 01

  So do you feel like you could actually move, like, move, move to New York?

• 39:31Keke Palmer?

  I mean, I'm always gonna, I, I do live in there.

• 39:34Speaker 01

  Are you leaving us? Are you leaving us, girl, ah, are you leaving us?

• 39:37Keke Palmer?

  I have to be in L.A. because L.A. needs me.

• 39:39Speaker 01

  Oh, oh.

• 39:40Keke Palmer?

  So it's like, I have to end up coming back and working. But I mean, yeah, I'd love to be in New York. I'm always gonna be there when I can. If I can get my little, you know, a, a job that keeps me there for a minute, I would live for that.

• 39:49Speaker 01

  Girl, you will.

• 39:50Keke Palmer?

  So, you know, we're gonna speak that into existence.

• 39:52Speaker 01

  Amen to that.

• 39:53Keke Palmer?

  You know what I'm saying? Um, okay, I know I gotta let you go, but I wanna play a game with you.

• 39:57Speaker 01

  Oh, yes, game, I love a game.

• 39:58Keke Palmer?

  I love playing a game with all my guests. You once said that Leos are your favorite sign to date.

• 40:03Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 40:03Keke Palmer?

  And Aries are the worst. So I wanna get into some more Zodiac best and worst with you, are you good?

• 40:07Speaker 01

  Okay, I'm ready.

• 40:09Keke Palmer?

  Okay. Best and worst sign to hit the club with, and why?

• 40:15Speaker 01

  Worst sign to go to the club with is a Libra, girl.

• 40:18Keke Palmer?

  Why?

• 40:19Speaker 01

  Indecisive.

• 40:20Keke Palmer?

  Oh, yeah.

• 40:21Speaker 01

  They don't know where to walk in or walk out for the club.

• 40:23Keke Palmer?

  They never know if they coming or going. That's that air energy.

• 40:26Speaker 01

  I'm like, okay, I think the best is a Capricorn.

• 40:29Keke Palmer?

  Okay, you love a Capricorn down, honey.

• 40:31Speaker 01

  I do love a Capricorn down, cuz they know how to take the driver's seat. You know, I can sit in the passenger, you know, cross my leg.

• 40:37Keke Palmer?

  Yes, okay. Best and worst sign for fashion sense abilities. This is funny.

• 40:42Speaker 01

  Worst Libra.

• 40:44Keke Palmer?

  Now, what is this Libra? There's this consistency happening.

• 40:46Speaker 01

  And Libra.

• 40:47Keke Palmer?

  Libra are supposed to be known for their aesthetic. So I can't believe that you think Libras are more stressed.

• 40:50Speaker 01

  They're just so indecisive, though. Like, they can never pick one thing. They could pick it, and they'll change it. And they'll change it again and again and again. I don't like that.

• 40:58Keke Palmer?

  Howling.

• 40:59Speaker 01

  But, um, I would say the best at that, I'm gonna say Aquarius.

• 41:02Keke Palmer?

  Of cour- I could feel the Aquarius coming.

• 41:04Speaker 01

  Yes, girl.

• 41:05Keke Palmer?

  Okay. Best and worst sign to gossip with, now you know who that needs to be.

• 41:12Speaker 01

  You're the best of Virgo, honey.

• 41:13Keke Palmer?

  Honey, a Virgo will gossip with-

• 41:15Speaker 01

  A Virgo will lay it all they down, girl.

• 41:17Keke Palmer?

  Honey, backwards and forwards and everything in between. We're gonna get upset, see? And it's never gonna be bitter, okay? Virgos are always gonna be like, "But I wish her well."

• 41:24Speaker 01

  Right, exactly, exactly.

• 41:25Keke Palmer?

  I'm not low down like that.

• 41:26Speaker 01

  No, no, no, no, no, no.

• 41:27Keke Palmer?

  But did you hear about so and so?

• 41:28Speaker 01

  I'm like, "Oh, really?"

• 41:29Keke Palmer?

  Yes!

• 41:30Speaker 01

  Give me more.

• 41:30Keke Palmer?

  It's very pulled out.

• 41:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's like, mm, I'm grinding it out.

• 41:33Keke Palmer?

  The worst sign to gossip with.

• 41:34Speaker 01

  I'm saying Aries.

• 41:36Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I can see that.

• 41:37Speaker 01

  Because they're like, "Hmm, are you talking shit?" I'm like, "No, I'm not talking shit." I'm like, "Okay." And they make you feel bad about it, too, girl. I'm like, "Oh, sorry."

• 41:45Keke Palmer?

  That is exactly the vibe.

• 41:48Speaker 01

  Yup, yup, yup. I'm like, "Okay."

• 41:50Keke Palmer?

  They're like, "Are you talking-" That was funny as hell. "Are you talking shit?" Yeah, motherfucker shit.

• 41:55Speaker 01

  I am.

• 41:56Keke Palmer?

  Um, best and worst sign to get into a fight with?

• 41:58Speaker 01

  Woo, girl. Oh, my god, girl. The best, ooh, the best to get into a fight with?

• 42:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's crazy.

• 42:03Speaker 01

  Right, ooh. I'm the worst at Capricorn, girl. That mouth. Let me tell you, Capricorn's mouth, girl.

• 42:09Keke Palmer?

  I actually feel like Aquarius and Cancer's are lethal.

• 42:12Speaker 01

  Oh, girl, I hate Aquarius.

• 42:13Keke Palmer?

  And Aquarius will slice you to the core. And you will never wake up from it.

• 42:16Speaker 01

  Girl.

• 42:17Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Stitching yourself back together years later.

• 42:19Speaker 01

  My friends say, "Ooh, girl, that tongue is sharp." I'm like, "Girl, it will get there, girl." It will get there, honey. But a Virgo, too.

• 42:25Keke Palmer?

  A Vir- Honey, we will.

• 42:27Speaker 01

  You're the read in a classy way, though. Babe, you know how to read, honey.

• 42:30Keke Palmer?

  We will literally let you know who you are and who you're not.

• 42:33Speaker 01

  Yep, ooh.

• 42:34Keke Palmer?

  Okay, best and worst sign to slide into your DMs?

• 42:39Speaker 01

  Um, uh, huh. Look, I got a flashback.

• 42:42Keke Palmer?

  I was about to say, now you went somewhere, I know that's right.

• 42:45Speaker 01

  Oh, a Scorpio's the best.

• 42:47Keke Palmer?

  I just think they're so overhyped at times.

• 42:49Speaker 01

  Girl, I don't know. Girl, they put that thing on you, girl, like, "Ah!" Girl, I be fine, girl. Won't get flustered, girl. I live for a Scorpio.

• 42:58Keke Palmer?

  I'm trying to think about what is the sexiest to me. I, I, you know, I, Virgos are so weird because we can get into it, but then also we can be so prudent and so pinched.

• 43:06Speaker 01

  Yes, very pinched.

• 43:07Keke Palmer?

  Where we're just like, what do you mean, turned on?

• 43:10Keke Palmer?

  We need to fucking relax.

• 43:12Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 43:12Keke Palmer?

  I really do. I, I, I've been on that tip for myself this year. Like, girl, just, just let loose.

• 43:18Speaker 01

  Yes, girl.

• 43:18Keke Palmer?

  Stop thinking about it so much.

• 43:20Speaker 01

  Girl, just, yes, girl, let your hair down, girl.

• 43:21Keke Palmer?

  Girl, maybe I need a Scorpio.

• 43:22Speaker 01

  You do. Have you had a Scorpio before? Ooh.

• 43:29Keke Palmer?

  Girlah!

• 43:30Speaker 01

  Girlah!

• 43:33Keke Palmer?

  I think that's what I need.

• 43:34Speaker 01

  Come on, yes, you do, girl.

• 43:35Keke Palmer?

  Okay, best and worst sign to have a one-night stand with.

• 43:38Speaker 01

  All right, um.

• 43:39Keke Palmer?

  This is a fun one.

• 43:40Speaker 01

  Okay, I would say the best.

• 43:45Speaker 01

  The best?

• 43:47Keke Palmer?

  It needs to be somebody that's not gonna talk.

• 43:49Speaker 01

  Exactly, an Aquarius.

• 43:51Keke Palmer?

  Yes!

• 43:52Speaker 01

  An Aquarius, girl, an Aquarius. Cause we love to mess around and do our do, and we keep it to ourselves.

• 43:56Keke Palmer?

  Very cute.

• 43:57Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 43:58Keke Palmer?

  Very, very, very jemur. Very not like the other girls. Aquarius is so, that is so true to everything about them. They have the emotion and they can engage, but they also can be so detached in a way that's like, relieving.

• 44:08Speaker 01

  Literally, and I love that.

• 44:09Keke Palmer?

  I love that.

• 44:10Speaker 01

  Because like sometimes you mess around like, oh, was it fun? Was it bad? I forgot about it. I'm like, oh, that happened? Oh, okay. You're like, you know, I love it.

• 44:18Keke Palmer?

  Okay, last one. Best and worst sign to have as a best friend?

• 44:22Speaker 01

  Hmm, best for me, of course, Capricorn, you know? I love me some Capricorns. But also like, my close girls, like, Capricorns, Virgos.

• 44:31Keke Palmer?

  Period.

• 44:31Speaker 01

  You know, and who else? Who's my other close? And Cancers.

• 44:34Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 44:34Speaker 01

  I love me a Cancer.

• 44:35Keke Palmer?

  Mine is, actually, one of the signs you said was the best was also Leo. Leo, my best friend. Like, I just, Leos are so loyal.

• 44:42Speaker 01

  They are loyal.

• 44:43Keke Palmer?

  So loyal.

• 44:44Speaker 01

  They are, but they talk about themselves too much. Oh, oh, oh, girlah! Girlah!

• 44:49Keke Palmer?

  I love you so much. And it needs to be, it needs to be something called girlah.

• 44:53Speaker 01

  Uh, it should. I need something, girl. Let me write it, girl. Let me get, girlah!

• 44:57Keke Palmer?

  I'm gonna call you. We write it together.

• 44:58Speaker 01

  Hello.

• 44:59Keke Palmer?

  Period.

• 45:01Keke Palmer?

  Thank you for coming to the show, Ricky. You're amazing.

• 45:02Speaker 01

  Thank you, girl. I love you down, girl. I'm so proud of you, girl.

• 45:05Keke Palmer?

  Baby!

• 45:05Speaker 01

  Girlah!

• 45:19Keke Palmer?

  Enjoy Baby This is Keke Palmer on the Wondery app, wherever you get your podcasts, and now on YouTube where you can watch full episodes. Subscribe to the Wondery channel on YouTube and don't miss any episodes. You can listen to Baby This is Keke Palmer early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

• 45:44Keke Palmer?

  Baby This is Keke Palmer is hosted and executive produced by me, Keke Palmer. Lucas Segal is our post-producer. Music supervisor is Scott Velazquez. Our original theme song was written and performed by me, Keke Palmer. For Team Kiki, my producer is Sharon Palmer. For Wondery, our managing producer is Olivia Fonte. Senior producers are Tristan McNeil and Candace Monriquez-Rin. Our executive producers are Emily Feldbrake, Dave Easton, Aaron O'Flaherty, and Marshall Louie.