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Lauren Keyana Palmer

Keke Palmer is an American actress, singer, producer, and television host known for her versatile career in film, television, and music. She currently hosts the NBC game show Password. Palmer first rose to fame as a child actress and has since become one of the youngest hosts of a major talk show with BET’s Just Keke.

Overview

Lauren Keyana Palmer's Profile

Keke Palmer is a two-time Emmy Award-winning American actress, singer, television host, author, and producer. She was born on August 26, 1993, to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former actors who met in drama school. She was a child performer from age 5, and her parents relocated the family to California to support her early career. Palmer did not attend college, having pursued entertainment full-time from childhood.

She rose to national prominence in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee before headlining Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011. She then went on to build a stellar career in the entertainment industry, with roles in several films and TV shows, making her Broadway debut as Cinderella in 2014, and hosting several TV programs.  

Since 2022, she has hosted Password on NBC, and in 2026, she starred in and executive-produced The Burbs on Peacock. She also runs KeyTV Network, her digital content platform, and hosts the podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. Palmer gave birth to her son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton, on February 25, 2023, with ex-partner Darius Jackson. The two separated in 2023 following a highly publicized split.

Quick Facts

  • Full Name: Lauren Keyana Palmer
  • Gender: Female
  • Date of Birth: 1993-08-26
  • Nationality: American
  • Ethnicity: African American, Black
  • Sexual Orientation: Asexual, Queer
  • Marital Status: Single
  • Career Start: 2014
  • Current Network:
  • Years Active
  • Estimated Salary: $1,000,000

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TV Shows

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Current Hosts

20
Years Active

50
Awards Won

TV Shows​

A list of television shows hosted by this host, including current programs and previous presenting roles.

Password
Password

Networks

A list of Networks that this host has worked for.

Personal Life

Family, relationships and background

  • Dating Darius Jackson from 2021 to 2023 (A fitness instructor and personal trainer. The couple split up in highly publicized breakup, where Palmer publicly cited emotional abuse and controlling behavior during legal proceedings filed in late 2023. )
  • Leodis "Leo" Andrellton Jackson , a biological child with Darius Jackson, born in 2023

Education

Educational background and qualifications

  • Did not attend college. Palmer pursued a full-time entertainment career from childhood.

Net Worth & Income

Income sources, net worth, and properties.

  • Significant annual income from her multi-year hosting contract for NBC’s Password.
  • Earnings from her Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast deal with Amazon Music.
  • Founder and CEO of KeyTV, a digital media network focused on empowering diverse creators.
  • Owns Big Bosses Entertainment, a record label she co-founded with her mother, Sharon Palmer, and longtime music manager, Big Billy Clark.
  • Book royalties from two published titles: I Don't Belong to You (2017) and Master of Me (2024). Prior earnings from her music and acting career.

Awards

Awards & recognition

  • Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, Turnt Up with the Taylors (2021)
  • Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Host for a Game Show, Password, NBC; first woman to win the award in 15 years (2024)
  • NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, Akeelah and the Bee (2007)
  • Black Movie Award — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, Akeelah and the Bee (2006)