Keke Palmer denies being let go from US talk show over Black Lives Matter activism

Keke Palmer has dismissed claims that she was let go by ABC for speaking out in support of Black Lives Matter.

In June, the Hustlers actor and former Nickelodeon star was videoed asking members of the National Guard to stand with demonstrators at a protest against the death of George Floyd.

However, after her role as a co-host on ABC talk show Strahan, Sara and Keke was terminated, rumours began to circulate on the internet that Palmer had been removed for being too outspoken in her activism.

Addressing these comments, Palmer shared a tweet to her Instagram account on Sunday (19 July) that read: “Ain’t it weird how Keke Palmer was protesting and preaching to the police about Racism in our country then ABC decides to cancel her show.”

In response, Palmer captioned the post: “I want to speak on this simply because I hate the narrative that if you speak your mind as a black person that you will in some way be punished.

“I have seen this going around and at first I ignored but in this climate I realised this is a dangerous message to send to our generation and the generation coming up. If anything my speaking out showed the corporations I work with how important my voice is and anyone that has a POV.”

Palmer insisted that her relationship with ABC and parent company Disney had “evolved” rather than “died”, adding: “I hate talking about business… but when I see such fear mongering comments, I want to speak out so that no one ever feels or thinks that speaking out will cost them their job! I’m sure it can and has before, but let’s also recognise when it has not. That way more of us with our own minds speak out against any injustices we see.”

Palmer originally joined Strahan, Sara and Keke as a guest host in April 2019 before coming on board as a permanent presenter in August of that year.

She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for her work on the series alongside Michael Strahan and Sara Haines in May 2020.