Queen Latifah Helped Keke Palmer See the Bigger Picture

Keke Palmer says one of the biggest career lessons she learned from Queen Latifah came without a formal conversation. It came from seeing how her own work eventually spoke for her.

During an appearance on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang, Palmer recalled a moment when a director asked Latifah to recommend someone for a role. Latifah recommended Palmer after years of watching her work and seeing how consistently she showed up and handled herself professionally.

“People are watching even when you don’t think they’re watching,” Palmer said. “It’s not what you say. It’s what you do.”

For Palmer, the recommendation was proof that her reputation had started working on her behalf.

“I just remember thinking in that moment, ‘Wow, my work ethic precedes me,’” Palmer said. “The way that I continue to move into the game, it’s going to count for something at some point.”

The connection between Palmer and Latifah goes back to Palmer’s childhood. Palmer was 10 when she played Latifah’s niece in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back in Business, her first professional film role. The two later worked together on Joyful Noise and Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012.

Now, their careers are crossing again in a much bigger way.

Palmer is set to host The Voice: Celebrity, the upcoming version of NBC’s singing competition that will feature celebrity contestants instead of undiscovered singers. Latifah will serve as one of the coaches alongside Joe Jonas and Riley Green. The new edition is scheduled to premiere in spring 2027, while Carson Daly remains connected to the regular version of the show.

So, Palmer will soon be hosting a show where one of the people who helped shape her career is sitting in a coach’s chair. That is quite the full-circle moment.

Palmer also pointed to Jennifer Lopez as another mentor who reinforced the importance of showing up and putting in the work.

The two worked together on Hustlers, and Palmer said they connected after Lopez noticed how seriously she approached her job.

“We kind of bonded because she saw me on my grind,” Palmer said.

Palmer said Lopez has continued to offer her support and guidance beyond the film.

“She’s like, ‘I want you to win in this way where you’re already winning,’ which is a really cool way to empower people,” Palmer added.

The lessons from Latifah and Lopez are similar. Palmer has learned that talent matters, but so does how you conduct yourself when the cameras are off and nobody is handing you an award for showing up.

And now, as Palmer steps into another major hosting job, that reputation is doing exactly what Latifah taught her it could do: getting there before she does.

“There’s nothing to it but to do it,” Palmer said when previously discussing her advice for the celebrity contestants on The Voice. “The worst thing that can happen is you learn something new and you get better.”