Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
She's played everything from a champion speller to princess, but now Keke Palmer is poised for a new challenge: scream queen
She hit the ground running
Having starred in everything from Disney Channel movies to prestige cable dramas to her own talk show, Keke Palmer packed in a career's worth of projects ... all before her 25th birthday.
She's not afraid to get her hands dirty
Keke Palmer's rise to the top wasn't without sacrifice. Her unmistakable talent led her entire family to relocate from Illinois to California to support her budding career.
Meet Keke as ZayDay
On Fox's hot new show, Scream Queens, Keke plays ZayDay Williams. ZayDay is a super smart Kappa Kappa Tau pledge. She's only joining the sorority to supplement her already robust resumé. That's her current role, but where Keke started is even more interesting.
She garnered major buzz for Akeelah and the Bee
As the 11-year-old spelling whiz Akeelah, Palmer went toe-to-toe with seasoned talents Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett.
Millennials already adore her
Millennials will surely remember her double-dutching up a storm in the Disney Channel original movie Jump In! alongside a High School Musical-era Corbin Bleu.
She's already had her own Nick sitcom
In True Jackson, VP, Palmer starred as a teen fashionista who lands a VP title at a major fashion label. In addition to becoming one of the highest-paid TV stars under 18, she wrote and sang the show's theme song.
She knows how to get animated
Thanks to the magic of animation, she has played a young mammoth in the Ice Age franchise, a fairy from Nickelodeon's Winx Club, and a Quahog teen in a guest-starring role on Family Guy.
Her smile lights up the night
It also lights up the day, come to think of it.
She can be CrazySexyCool
Honoring one of the best groups in '90s hip-hop, Palmer portrayed Rozonda Thomas, aka Chilli, in the VH1 biopic, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story.
She's got our vote
At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, the red carpet was no match for her flawless style.
She’s a music maven, too
Palmer released her first album back in 2007 and has since put out several mixtapes, singles and covers. In addition to writing some of her own material, she shows off her dance skills in a number of YouTube videos.
At 20, Palmer made talk show TV history
As the host of Just Keke on BET, she became the youngest person ever to headline a talk show.
She can handle period dramas
In Masters of Sex's second season, Palmer's nanny character, Coral, squared off against Libby Masters (Caitlin Fitzgerald), who felt threatened by Coral's rapport with her infant son.
She’s a bonafide stage princess
Putting her singing, dancing and acting skills to great use, Palmer starred in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, becoming the first African-American actress to take on the role on Broadway.
She's to die for
In Fox's upcoming Scream Queens, she joins Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, and a host of other hot young stars.
She loves her fans
Keke took a few moments to meet her elated supporters at the 2015 Essence Festival.
She only surrounds herself with the best
Keke's Scream Queens co-stars Lea Michele and Emma Roberts are just as talented and beautiful as Keke.
And she’s a Pink Lady
Staying in the Fox family, Palmer will appear in the upcoming Grease: Live as Marty Maraschino of the famed Pink Ladies. She'll be joined by Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo and Julianne Hough as Sandy in the live telecast, set for January 2016.
Keep stunning them, Keke!
The next project Keke has up her sleeve is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure: She'll shine.