Keke Palmer has been in the spotlight since childhood, captivating audiences as Akeelah in “Akeelah and the Bee,” Nikki in “Madea’s Family Reunion,” and most recently as Dreux in “One of Them Days.” In between those major projects, Palmer was introduced to a whole new audience on Nickelodeon as the star of “True Jackson, VP.” Now, ahead of her latest movie hitting theaters this Friday, Palmer is looking back on her time as the fictional vice president of a major fashion brand, and revealing whether she’d ever touch the role again.
Speaking with Parade, Palmer was ready to answer when asked whether she’d consider stepping back into the role of True in the Nickelodeon original series.
“Oh yeah. I’m one of those people that started acting as a kid that really still loves my kid work,” Palmer said. “Not everything I can revisit because maybe there’s not a story there—but in terms of looking back, I have no shame.”
“True Jackson, VP” aired on Nick from 2008 to 2011 and followed Palmer, a 15-year-old girl who landed a role as an executive at a high-powered NYC fashion brand.
Today, Palmer said she could see her character as the head of the company or in another leadership role.
“She is curating spaces, and she’s being just the boss like she really became,” Palmer shared, adding that her character was thrown into adulthood at an early age. “… so she’s now dealing with having to go back and understand the spaces in which she was not cultivating—whether that’s love or friendships or just things that started to run when you’re out there chasing your dream and being ambitious,” she said.
Palmer added, “She’s going to revisit that part of herself that she kept deferring.”
Keke Palmer Said Her New Role In ‘I Love Boosters’ Reminds Her Of True Jackson
Palmer’s newest role as Corvette in the Boots Riley-directed “I Love Boosters” has sent the actress down memory lane, as she recently said that her new film reminds her of “True Jackson, VP.”
In “I Love Boosters,” coming to theaters May 22, 2026, Palmer leads a group of thieves who steal and resell clothes from an ultra-wealthy fashion designer.
“It’s so funny, it was reminding me of True Jackson, VP,” Palmer said just days ago, before joking that there were some differences with her co-stars.
“The whole Christie Smith [played by Demi Moore], she was not a nice Max Madigan, OK, she was not!” Palmer joked.
Keke Palmer Said Starring In Her Own Show Was ‘Incredible’
When “True Jackson, VP” aired, Palmer joined an elite list of Black actresses with their own shows, including Tia and Tamera Mowry and, of course, Raven Symoné.
During her conversation with Parade, Palmer said playing the titular role of True Jackson in the early 2000s was “one of the most incredible, unique and special times in my life.”
The mother of one explained that she experienced “many grand firsts” in her life, and grew up wanting to be like Symoné, who made headlines after appearing in “The Cosby Show” and her Disney original, “That’s So Raven.”
“It was so cool to have my own show,” Palmer said.
Being The Lead Of Her Own Show Was A Lot For Palmer To Handle
But with her own show also came hard work and sacrifice.
Palmer said it took her some time to come to terms with the “difficult reality” of being a child star. “There was so much that came with fame; it changed my life,” she said.
However, it doesn’t seem like the 32-year-old would change her experience for the world, saying she “loved working” on “True Jackson, VP” and the feeling of being on the show’s set with her friends and family.
“I hope and wish that one day I can do another sitcom with the live studio audience again,” she said.
Palmer Recalled Another Child Star Flexing His Black Card
Over the last several months, Palmer has spoken about life as a child actress.
According to a previous report from The Blast, she recalled being shocked when, at age 14, she was hanging out with “Everybody Hates Chris” star Tyler James Williams and he pulled out a black American Express card.
“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.’”
Palmer joked that she was caught off guard in the moment before saying it was rumored that Williams was making over six figures per episode back then.
“It was way different for me,” she joked about her Nickelodeon salary. “It was different. He was on network, but I was doing my thing.”
