Keke Palmer’s response to the colorism discussion comparing her to Zendaya has gone viral. 

Keke Palmer’s response to the colorism discussion comparing her to Zendaya has gone viral. Over the weekend, Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated film Nope premiered, prompting fans and critics to claim it as Keke Palmer’s “break-out role.” One tweet sparked a discussion around colorism, comparing Palmer’s lack of “mainstream success” to Zendaya despite them having similar careers—going from Disney/Nickelodeon stars to Emmy award winning actresses. But fans were quick to shut this narrative down, and Keke herself took to Twitter to clarify, “A great example of colorism is to believe I can be compared to anyone. I’m the youngest talk show host ever. The first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon, & the youngest & first Black Cinderella on broadway. I’m an incomparable talent.” When discussing the film with Entertainment Weekly, Palmer expressed how she was excited that the characters were not solely defined by their complexions and “with everything [Jordan Peele] does, while there will be Black leads, the gag isn’t always that you’re Black.” YPulse research shows 91% of Black young consumers want to see parts of their identity represented in the media they consume. (Buzzfeed news, Entertainment Weekly)