Will Smith’s Surprising Role In Keke Palmer’s Family Struggles

The 31-year-old actress, greatest identified for her breakout position in “Akeelah and the Bee,” mirrored on how navigating her sudden rise to fame created struggles for each her and her household. At one level, she thought of pursuing emancipation from her mother and father and sought recommendation from her lawyer, who inspired her to discover remedy in its place.

Then, in the future, after she returned to work and checked her telephone, she observed an unread voicemail from the identical quantity — from none apart from Will Smith.

On a current episode of “The Toast” podcast, Keke Palmer delved right into a shocking voicemail she obtained from Will Smith that profoundly impacted her throughout a tough time. The episode is a part of the press tour for her e book, “Grasp of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative.”

In the course of the interview, the “Nope” star mirrored on the challenges of navigating fame at a younger age. “Couple of weeks go by and I am on the set of ‘True Jackson, VP,’ and I get a name from this like actually, actually obscure quantity,” she recalled. “And I am like what? Like that is bizarre, I am not answering this.”

After returning to work, Palmer checked her telephone and observed a voicemail from the identical unfamiliar quantity. To her astonishment, it was from Will Smith.

“Hey, Keke. It is Will. We’re over right here doing ‘Karate Child’ with Jaden and I simply wish to let you already know that I talked to [her lawyer],” Smith stated within the voicemail, per Palmer. “He let me know every thing you are going by means of, and I would like you to know generally it is laborious being the primary, however you will get by means of.”

“Simply preserve staying centered, love on your loved ones, and y’all gonna be good,” Smith added.

In the end, Palmer selected to not pursue emancipation from her mother and father, crediting Will Smith’s telephone name as a big consider her choice.

“It is one thing that occurs whenever you’re stepping out, and you may be a toddler entertainer, or you may be the primary individual in your loved ones to go to varsity, or the primary individual in your loved ones to get married,” the actress stated on the podcast. “There’s so many firsts that may occur because the generations of your loved ones proceed to develop and evolve.”

“And this was a tough factor for me that I felt meant that I needed to throw my household away,” she continues. “I’ve at all times had, I feel lots of people — whether or not they’re notable names or they’re my legal professional — that I had a superb group, that additionally my mother and father made positive I used to be round, that may encourage group and never like dissension and us breaking up.”

On the podcast, she additionally spoke out about her rising fame as a toddler star, one thing she has beforehand opened up about, particularly after “Quiet On Set: The Darkish Facet Of Children TV” premiered.

Throughout her time starring in Nickelodeon’s “True Jackson VP,” Keke Palmer skilled her past love in what she now describes as an “inappropriate” relationship with an older man. “I had a good time doing ‘True Jackson VP,’ nevertheless it was additionally a really disturbing, tough, depressive time,” she revealed in PEOPLE‘s cowl story final month, explaining how the emotional toll of that relationship difficult her early profession.

“I used to be making an attempt to steadiness between being actually younger, but in addition feeling fairly mature,” she stated, although she didn’t identify the person. “If I believed it was inappropriate, then I would not have carried out it. Clearly, I shouldn’t have been 15 courting no 20-year-old, however in my thoughts it was like ‘I bought a full-time job. Can’t no one perceive me however a grown man.’”

Palmer later added, “However he knew there was numerous stuff that there is no rattling manner for me to grasp at rattling 15.”

Palmer’s reflections come amid a surge of allegations towards Nickelodeon, with a number of former forged and crew members accusing the community of misconduct. These accusations embrace severe claims towards creator Dan Schneider and producer Brian Peck, who’ve been accused of fostering a poisonous work setting and interesting in inappropriate habits.

Schneider, specifically, has been criticized for alleged verbal abuse, favoritism, and making a hostile ambiance on set. Including to the dialog, Palmer’s mom described the Schneider period as “cultish.”