Keke Palmer Says Her Retirement From Hollywood Is “Around the Corner”

Keke Palmer, who has been in the entertainment industry since she was a tween, is getting candid about her future in Hollywood.

The 30-year-old actress, singer and TV host recently told Teen Vogue that she plans on retiring at some point, likely sooner than later.

“I don’t know. I think the timer has started,” Palmer said with a laugh. “I think it’s because I just haven’t felt it yet. But the timer, I know that it’s around the corner. I don’t know when exactly, but it’s around the corner.”

As for the legacies she would leave behind, the Emmy-winning actress explained that it’s important for her to create a path to help her son, Leo, and other creators.

“The main thing I want those legacies to be is [a call] to use your power for good, to use what you have to create spaces and systems for other people to thrive,” Palmer said. “I just don’t believe in holding everything. I don’t believe in gatekeeping. I’m not a coward. What would that do? I think it’s based in fear. If I’m speaking on it from a compassionate place, I think people that gatekeep are afraid. So I’m not scared.”

The Nope star added that she wants to raise Leo to not be afraid and to feel confident in his abilities to go out and learn.

“A part of learning in this place, I think, is to love and to know how to first be unconditionally loving to yourself, so that you know how to love others and be of service to others in a way that doesn’t disadvantage them but instead empowers them,” Palmer explained. “That’s what I would hope that the legacy is for me. And for anyone that wants to follow me, I hope that’s what they see too.”

As for what she sees in her future as a performer, she wants to make sure she has options, which is one of the reasons she launched KeyTV Newtwork, a platform to help other creatives.

“When I was younger, I used to have so much anxiety,” Palmer recalled. “I love to perform, but is that something that can last forever? I think I always would wonder, ‘Is it something that times out?’ Obviously, you have people that have been acting their entire careers…. but I just never knew how I could scale myself.”

The Hustlers actress continued, “If you were a lawyer, you want to get to be a partner. I didn’t understand what the version of that was for me. Some people become directors or they become a producer or they become the head of Paramount.”

It was recently revealed that Palmer joined Aziz Ansari‘s Good Fortune, starring alongside Ansari, Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen.

She also scored a 2023 Emmy for outstanding game show host for Password, making her the first woman to win the award in 15 years.

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