Keke Palmer claims one of her ‘Scream Queens’ co-star made racist remark during squabble on set
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Keke Palmer has never shied away from sharing the highs and lows of her career, and in her new memoir, 'Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative', she opened up about a particularly racist experience on the set of 'Scream Queens'.
The 2015 Ryan Murphy comedy horror series, which blended comedy, slasher horror, and college campus drama, may have been notorious for its on-screen thrills, but Palmer reveals that the real "horror" took place behind the scenes.
Keke Palmer recalls shocking comment from 'Scream Queens' co-star
In a recent interview with LA Times, Keke Palmer reflected on an incident that left her deeply shaken.
While trying to mediate a conflict between two co-stars, she was met with a shocking and racially charged comment from one of her colleagues, whom she said was a White woman nicknamed “Brenda".
Though Palmer declined to name the actress and instead go with the "Brenda", she made it clear that the remark was deeply hurtful.
According to Palmer, as she urged the cast to respect each other and enjoy their time on set, “Brenda” responded with a pointed, inflammatory statement: “Keke, literally, just don’t. Who do you think you are? Martin f**king Luther King?”
The comment was seemingly loaded, both personally and racially.
By referring to the iconic civil rights leader, “Brenda” seemed to imply that Palmer was out of place, attempting to elevate herself in a way that didn’t align with her “station” as the only Black woman on the production.
Keke Palmer unshaken by racially charged comment from co-star
Keke Palmer, however, was unshaken. “It was such a weighted thing that she said, but I didn’t allow that weight to be projected on me, because I know who I am,” Palmer said, emphasizing her refusal to let the comment define her.
“I’m not no victim. That’s not my storyline, sweetie. I don’t care what her a** said. If I allow what she said to cripple me, then she would.”
Her response is a powerful example of how she’s learned to rise above the negativity and continue to move forward in her career, regardless of the challenges that come her way.
While she did not directly name her co-star, there’s speculation as to which of her White, female co-stars might have made the remark.
Lea Michele, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Abigail Breslin all starred alongside Palmer in 'Scream Queens', and several have faced allegations of unprofessional behavior in the past.
Lea Michele, for instance, has been accused of creating a toxic work environment on the set of 'Glee,' and Emma Roberts was previously accused of transphobic behavior by 'American Horror Story' co-star Angelica Ross.
Keke Palmer reveals tension with 'Scream Queens' creator Ryan Murphy
Aside from the racial comment, Keke Palmer also described a tense encounter with 'Scream Queens' creator Murphy, after she was unable to shoot additional scenes on one of her scheduled days off.
Murphy reportedly chastized Palmer for being “unprofessional", telling her, “I’ve never seen you behave like this. I can’t believe that you, out of all people, would do something like this.”
While Palmer worked through the tension with Murphy, a fellow co-star attempted to stir the pot, telling Palmer that Murphy’s reaction was much worse than she had let on. “It’s bad,” the co-star allegedly said, trying to make Palmer feel afraid.
The experience left Palmer questioning whether her career would thrive in Murphy’s world, much like frequent collaborators Sarah Paulson and Emma Roberts.
“I’m still not sure Ryan cared, or got it, and that’s okay because he was just centering his business, which isn’t a problem to me,” Palmer writes in her book.
“But what I do know is even if he didn’t care, and even if I never work with him again, he knows that I, too, see myself as a business.”
