Keke Palmer and Tyler James Williamshave been staples in Black Hollywood since they were children, starring in massive productions including “Akeelah and the Bee,” “True Jackson, VP,” and “Everybody Hates Chris.” With their roles in their respective shows, it’s likely that the legendary performers earned a pretty penny. However, according to Palmer, she didn’t earn as much as Williams, as she recalled being shocked when he reportedly pulled out a Black Card at the young age of 14.
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Keke Palmer Recalls Being Stunned By Tyler James Williams Flexing With A ‘Black Card’
Keke Palmer tells a story about how ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ star Tyler James Williams left her in shock when he pulled out a black card at Universal when they were just 14 years old
She also revealed he was making over 200k per episode at the time pic.twitter.com/MqR9J2zrhC
— PlaqueBoyMaxUpdates (@PlaqueReport) January 14, 2026
During a recent livestream with PlaqueBoyMax, Palmer, 32, spoke with the streamer about popular sitcoms from the early 2000s, including “The Parkers,” which starred Mo’Nique.
After Max revealed that he was more of a fan of the Chris Rock-inspired sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which began airing in 2005, Palmer reflected on a memory she had with the then-14-year-old Tyler James Williams, who played the titular character.
“We all hanging out, kicking it, and we go somewhere,” Palmer said. “Tyler James, 14, he pull out a Black Card, and we was like, ‘What the h-ll is that?’ He’s like, ‘It’s a Black Card.'”
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Keke Palmer Says Williams Was Making A Whopping $200,000 An Episode During His Time On ‘EHC’
Continuing, Palmer and Max called the situation “crazy” after considering how much money a minor would have to be making to qualify for a Black Card. But then, Palmer implied that it all made sense after realizing that Williams was allegedly making “$200,000 an episode” while filming “Everybody Hates Chris.”
Max attempted to pry into Palmer’s finances a bit, assuming that if Williams was making $200,000 per episode, she must have been pulling in a nice coin from her Nickelodeon sitcom, which ran from 2008 to 2011. “It was way different for me,” she said. “It was different. He was on network, but I was doing my thing.”
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Williams Shoots Down The Rumors About His ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ Salary
Williams, who also appeared in “Little Bill” and “Sesame Street” as a child actor, denied the reports about his “Everybody Hates Chris” salary during a previous interview with Complex, saying the figure was “not” true. “Stop believing anything you see somebody put in big bold letters on the internet. It’s not correct. I don’t even know where it came from,” he said.
Williams went on, “I heard rumors of it years and years ago. That’s not how the entertainment industry works. When you first come in on your first show, your quote is really, really low. Thankfully, it’s not where it was back in the day, but no, that’s not true.”
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Williams Recalls ‘Traumatic’ Experience Growing Up In Front Of The Camera
While Williams has had a storied career in the entertainment industry, later booking roles in “Criminal Minds” and “Abbott Elementary,” that doesn’t mean his time in Hollywood has always been a walk in the park.
During a previous interview, Williams got candid about how his mental health suffered as a child star after experiencing some of the “weirdest sh-t in the world.”
“The time this was happening was the same time the internet was becoming more ingrained in the industry,” he said. “So as I’m going through the most awkward years of my life, everyone sees it.”
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Williams explained that some of the changes he was going through as a growing young man were challenging. “I was trying to find myself in front of everybody. And everybody had an opinion and was getting used to getting theirs out,” he said.
According to Williams, he still gets “triggered” when people speak to him about his younger roles. “Every time someone comes up to me, regardless of what it is they recognize me for, what that says to me in the moment is that I’m seen. I have to be on, immediately, because someone’s watching,” he said.
What Is Keke Palmer Up To Next?
Beginning in just a few weeks, Palmer will be back on the small screen, starring in the new Peacock series, “The ‘Burbs.”
According to an official press release, the series is inspired by the 1989 horror-comedy film of the same name and follows a young couple who move to the husband’s childhood home. “Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood,” the show’s description read.
Directed by Nzingha Stewart, all eight episodes of the series will be available for streaming on February 8, 2026.
