Keke Palmer Will Host New Show on BET

Actress Keke Palmer

According to Entertainment Weekly:

The Akeelah and the Bee star will host her own daily talk show this summer on BET tentatively titled The Keke Palmer Project. At age 20, Palmer will be the youngest talk show host in television history. The initial four-week run will premiere on the network in July and film in Los Angeles. The show will include celebrity interviews as well as cover topics important to Palmer and her generation like social issues, pop culture, fashion, sex, and more. The series will be executive produced by Judge Greg Mathis who helped form a relationship with Palmer and producer Telepictures, which produces Judge Mathis as well as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Bethenny, TMZ Live, Extra, and The People’s Court.

I am super excited to hear that a young Black woman is going to have a show specifically geared towards the younger generation. While there are several talk shows out now [mostly hosted by women], they are all catered to a more established, older generation.

I think it’s great that Palmer will be taking on social issues because too many talk shows now uncritically regurgitate celebrity gossip. While that can be exciting [think of the Wendy Williams show], it would be nice to simultaneously hear about political issues because contrary to stereotypical representations of young folks in the media, we actually do like to engage in discussions surrounding politics and pop culture.

I watch talk shows daily and they usually have the same format. The hosts all talk about the exact same things and they have nothing important to contribute to the discussion. In fact, it sometimes feels as though the hosts are afraid to actually say how they feel, with the exception of Wendy Williams, although her exaggerated performances of white femininity can be exhausting.

Wendy Williams

I enjoy watching The Talk, but I feel like the women at the table never have a cohesive conversation because they have absolutely nothing in common. It just feels like a hot mess at times. Also, as soon as they bring up a controversial topic, they don’t explore it or seriously engage with the material. They all start laughing when it gets tense  rather than explore their different opinions.

I’m hopeful that Palmer will add a new flavor to these mundane shows by offering us something fresh and taking on perspectives and topics that are usually considered taboo by the gatekeepers of television. Palmer has a lot of industry experience and I wish her success. The younger BET-watchers definitely need a show that they can relate to; one that isn’t about football, or women beating each other up.