Keke Palmer and rapper Saweetie delved into a profound conversation about the adversities of navigating the entertainment industry on the actress’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.
The 30-year-old Nope star interviewed the “Icy Girl” coiner over video chat. At one point, the two mulled over the censure that coexisted with being a public figure.
“I also love the aspect of what you said…we just want to create,” Palmer said. “So, there’s that aspect where it’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I love my fans and this parasocial relationship. I appreciate this. I love this. But because it’s parasocial, you really don’t know me. So, I had to learn how to not take it personal even though sometimes it will hurt your feelings.”
“I’ve been doing it for 20 years, and I remember the first time I got dragged on Twitter,” the 30-year-old matriarch continued. “Or when I got dragged on Instagram. You just be like, ‘Why is y’all dragging me like this? Y’all done hooked me up to the back of this truck, and y’all are going 100 miles per hour, damn!’ But then you just sit back and say, you know what? They love my work. They don’t know me, and I guess them motherfuckers hated the last project.”
The Hustlers actress didn’t specify what led to her first public scrutiny. Though, commenters recalled the star catching much flak for supporting the controversial statement “All Lives Matter” on Twitter in 2016.
Saweetie has had her fair share of controversies, precisely with the elevator dispute with her ex-boyfriend and Migos member, Quavo.
However, the Icy Queen changed her perspective regarding the online animosity directed towards her.
“You know what has helped me in those dealings?” Saweetie asked. “I’m like, ‘Okay, you’re dragging the persona of me.’ Not me because if you know me, you wouldn’t drag me. So, how I’ve dealt with that, it’s just kind of like, ‘Okay, Saweetie, you have a public image. The public image of you is being dragged right now, but don’t take it personal because you’re still Diamonté (Quiava Valentin Harper)…I have other existences.”
The “Tap In” hitmaker added that it hits differently when the controversy involves her as opposed to watching another celebrity go through it.
“You on the back of that truck hitting all the speed bumps,” Saweetie said, picking off from Palmer’s earlier truck statement.
The rapper and Palmer also voiced actress Taraji P. Henson’s sentiments regarding the misconceptions about celebrities’ salaries.
In an interview with SiriusXM on Dec. 19, 2023, Henson stopped all fallacies regarding artists getting paid top dollar after working, claiming they only received a small percentage and that they had to distribute their pay to their team who assisted in making specific opportunities and business ventures possible.
“I really do want to be clear that everybody in the industry don’t have money like that,” Palmer said. “And even if they do got a little bit, they got a business that they have to afford to keep up.”
“Even what Taraji said,” the “Best Friend” rapper commented. “With all the markdowns. And it’s just like the people who be close to us, and the people who feel like they may know us, they just be thinking, ‘Oh, you’re rich, you’re okay’ No, I have teams that I have to take care of. So, I really love that interview that she did because it truly broke down all the knockdowns that we had and what we truly take home.”
Watch the full interview below.
