Keke Palmer recalls how former manager claimed her mom would 'DIE' if she didn't lose weight at age 12
- The actress, now 31, spoke out about it during a recent interview with The Cut
- She recalled how her ex-manager gave a harrowing warning about her mother
- Keke said it left her 'really, really traumatized' and 'stressed' out
Keke Palmer has revealed how her former manager told her that her mother would 'die' if she didn't lose weight when she was only 12 years old.
The actress, now 31, spoke out about it during a recent interview with The Cut, admitting it left her 'really, really traumatized' and 'stressed' out.
While speaking with the publication, Keke, who started acting at age nine before being skyrocketed into the spotlight at 13 thanks to her role in Akeelah and the Bee, opened up about being 'pushed into situations that she was too young to handle.'
She recalled how her manager gave her a harrowing warning about mom Sharon's weight that left her terrified when she was only 12.
The star said the unnamed manager told her that Sharon would pass away if she didn't get in shape.
'That really, really traumatized me and stressed me out,' Keke admitted.
'It got me thinking she was going to die, thinking about things like medical bills. It was just too much.'
The star - who has been honest about how she came from a 'poor community' - admitted that her relationship with her parents was complicated during her upbringing because she felt 'pressured' to land roles in order to make money for their family.
Keke Palmer has revealed how her former manager told her that her mother would 'die' if she didn't lose weight when she was only 12 years old. She's seen in November
The actress, now 31, spoke out about it during a recent interview with The Cut , admitting it left her 'really, really traumatized' and 'stressed' out. She's seen with her mom in 2013
'I hated my parents for a long time. There was so much pressure to rise to the occasion for my community, for my parents, for my siblings, for their sacrifices,' she continued.
'They weren't saying it, but that was the reality. Because I'm the one that we all came here for.'
Sharon, who served as Keke's co-manager throughout her career, previously said on the Today show that she pushed her daughter to get into acting because she wanted her to be able to 'go to college.'
'I did it so she could go to college. I never expected any of this. I didn't do it for money or fame,' she insisted.
'It was college. I wanted her to go to college. I wanted my kids to go to college. And I wanted them to have a better life.'
Keke went on to star in the immensely popular Nickelodeon series True Jackson, VP in 2008, when she was 15.
And despite her success, she told The Cut that she felt like 'people were putting limitations on her' because she was Black.
'I wasn't necessarily in the same conversations as Victoria Justice or Selena Gomez or Miley Cyrus at that time,' she stated.
While speaking with the publication, Keke (seen at age 12) said the unnamed manager told her that her mom, Sharon, would pass away if she didn't get in shape
'That really, really traumatized me and stressed me out,' Keke (seen in 2006) admitted. 'It got me thinking she was going to die, thinking about things like medical bills. It was just too much'
'It was very much, "That's the Black show," or, "That's Keke Palmer, the Black girl on the network."
'There is a loss of innocence that comes with the awareness that you're treated differently that I'd accepted a long time ago.'
After True Jackson, VP came to an end in 2011, Keke tried her hand at music and dropped a self-released mixtape.
She landed a few roles in the TLC biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, the horror film Animal, and Showtime's drama series Masters of Sex.
She also briefly hosted her own daytime talk show, called Just Keke, but that went on for only one season.
And the Scream Queens alum spoke about her struggle to get people to view her as a serious actress after her time as a Nickelodeon child star to The Cut.
'You're at this weird age where you're too young for the kind of roles that you would want and you're too old for the kind of roles you used to get,' she explained.
'Your brand was made up of you being a kid, and you're not a kid anymore. So you have to build a new one.'
Keke has since acted in Scream Queens, Hustlers, and Nope, amongst other films. She has released three EPs and co-hosted the talk show Strahan, Sara and Keke as well as the game show Password.
She's now gearing up to star in the upcoming flick One of Them Days alongside SZA and Maude Apatow, which hits theaters on Friday.
