Keke Palmer Felt 'Trapped' During Nickelodeon Stints

Keke Palmer's successful child star career wasn't picture-perfect after all.

The 29-year-old "Nope" actress opened up about the life of being a former Nickelodeon star at a young age in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, released Wednesday, and it was far from the glitz and glamour fans expected.

Although Palmer's career flourished after appearing in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom "True Jackson, VP" over a decade ago, she revealed feeling "trapped" while playing the role, which she landed when she was only 15.

The actress shared that while she was offered an all-expenses-paid trip with her family on the now-inoperative Nickelodeon Cruise of the Mexican Riviera back in 2008, she did not get a chance to take a break. Instead, she was required to spend hours signing autographs for fans on the lido deck.

"I felt like I was walking around in a SpongeBob suit that I couldn't take off," Palmer shared, recalling her experience during the peak of her fame following the release of the sitcom in the same year.

She continued, "I was trapped, I couldn't leave my room without someone coming up to me, [and] calling me True Jackson. What you are, to everyone, is just a character ... just part of their experience."

At that time, the actress rarely went out of her cabin to spend some quality time with her family and was unable to enjoy the trip.

"True Jackson, VP" ran for three seasons on Nickelodeon, starting from 2008 to 2011, where Palmer starred alongside Robbie Amell, Ashley Argota and Matt Shively. Before that, she also starred in "Madea's Family Reunion" in 2006, the Disney Channel original movie "Jump In" in 2007, "The Longshots" in 2008 and "Shrink" in 2009.

Upon reaching 18, which was the same time the teen sitcom ended in 2011, Palmer vowed she would only portray characters of her "own design" in the future. Since then, she honed her career and went on to star in "Scream Queens," "Alice" and "Nope" in 2015 and 2022, respectively.

Palmer, whose moniker Keke was derived from her middle name Keyana, also explored other career options in the entertainment industry, launching her first start-up program, a digital platform named "KeyTV."

On the TV show, she revealed having two different personas: Keke Palmer, who appeared before the blinding camera lights, and Lauren Palmer, whom she carried in her private life.

"I'm a quirky artist, but I'm an artist, and it's important for people to understand that Keke is just a part of who I am," she said of her public image. "It's been a winding road of trying to figure out how to do what I love but also exist outside of this caricature."

Although the double persona may confuse some of her fans, the singer-actress explained that she was not "like that all the time," and that she's taken "flamboyant and interesting aspects of myself and learned how to use them in a space" that has made her career.

When asked about which of the two names she'd like to be remembered by, Palmer said, "Keke. That's the name the world wanted. So, that's what they got."

Palmer, who has accumulated 11.5 million followers on Instagram, trended on social media back in July, after being compared with other A-List celebrities who've followed the same career path, including "Euphoria" actress Zendaya, People reported.

She spoke of the issue on Twitter, addressing the "implicit racial bias," saying, "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. Baby, THIS, is Keke Palmer."

"I've been a leading lady since I was 11 years old. I have over 100+ credits, and currently starring in an original screenplay that's the number one film at the box office #NOPE. I've had a blessed career thus far, I couldn't ask for more but God continues to surprise me," she added.