Keke Palmer is opening up about the emotional responsibility of being the breadwinner for her family from a young age.
In a candid conversation on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, the 31-year-old actress broke down as she described being the breadwinner for her family from a young age.
“My parents at best made $40,000 a year when I was growing up. I was making that [per] show,” Palmer shared.
When asked how much access she had to her money, the “Joyful Noise” star explained that her parents “would ration her out an allowance” as well as her sister.
“Somebody could say, ‘that was your money,’ but we a family,” she added. “And everybody sacrificed.”
Palmer then shared how her dad sacrificed his pension after 15 years of hard work while her mom gave up her own dream to support her career.
“How I feel about it—what’s mine is theirs and what’s theirs is mine,” the “Nope” star said. “And I would give up and sacrifice 20 more years of my life working in this industry so I could provide and we could have the business we have today.”
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When Shannon Sharpe pointed out that it’s not typical for a child to be responsible for supporting their family, Palmer acknowledged the weight she carried at such a young age.
She admitted that while it was difficult, she embraced that responsibility, wearing it “like armor” to protect herself from the pressures of her early career.
“Life is a lonely place,” Palmer shared, explaining how being the family’s provider gave her strength.
“Now my sister can go to FAMU… we get to do things we never could before,” she added, emphasizing that, though the sacrifices were heavy, the rewards far outweighed them.
“I could be sad, but why? Look what I gained,” she added. “I gained so much more than what I sacrificed.”
The interview comes just a few weeks after the “Scream Queens” star opened up filing for bankruptcy at 18.
“I was so spooked. I was like, ‘What went wrong?’” she said before sharing how that situation promoted her to live below her means.
She continued: “If I got $10,000 in the bank, then my house would be $500 a month. That’s how under I mean, because I can probably afford something $2,500 maybe, but I’m going way under. Do you know why? Because I wanna invest in my business.”
“Instead of wearing Gucci, I’m wearing Zara. I live in a good place. I don’t drive a cool car, ’cause my money is going elsewhere… I got a Toyota right now in my driveway.”
