November 20, 2024 • 25 mins
Keke Palmer joins us in the Interview Lounge to discuss her new book, "Master of Me," out now!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From the Mercedes Ben's Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Wow sounds impressive, don't it It is? Anyway, we love biographies,
We love learning about people their lives. And in the
fact that I wrote one, you learn a lot about
yourself when you write your own story. I mean you
read it in the third person, like, oh my god,
this guy, he's had to really screwed up life. Oh
that's me. Kind of cool. Anyway. Kiki Palmer has been
(00:27):
doing the business since she was so young, and now
here she is in her thirties, she's still doing it.
She wrote her book called Master of Me, and this is,
as Gandhi was saying, a very perfect, perfectly timed book,
of course, with all the stories coming out, where we
learn more about people who grew up in the business
and what they're all about. She's putting she's smoking a cigarette.
Which what is she doing. She's putting a lipstick.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, Nate's doing a lipstick motion with his an.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I thought she's out. Kiki's out smoking a cigarette. She'll
be here in a moment. I don't know his lipstick done.
Kicky Palmer, come on in here, Hey, this is right here.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
How are you? How are you? Oh? My gosh, she
is gorgeous.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
By the way, when you walk past Danielle, she does
the sniff tap.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, you smell good.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It's kind of creepy when guests come in and the
first thing we talk about is the way they smell.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Haha.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
But also smelling is a good you know smell.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Can you keep an eye on Key's microphone level? Make
sure you're good. Yes, Hey, welcome to the show. And
as you know me, when you put a book out,
you gotta get up early in the morning.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Oh my gosh, boy, the last couple of days four am,
four am, there's.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Been no joke.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Welcome to our hell, it's no joke. This is why
we look like this. So uh gandhi, our co host
is in Hey, she's in Columbus, so she's doing the
show there. Froggy is in Jacksonville up there. Daniel's here
and I'm Elvis, your host. How's your espresso?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's fabulous. I do appreciate this obviously, four am.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It's honey, this is needed. Mama needs fuel. You know
what I'm saying. What made you? You don't have to,
you don't have to. The hair's looking perfect, thank you.
Headphones ruined great hair. What made you can decide to
do a book? I mean it's a very general easy question,
but no, what what's your story?
Speaker 4 (02:19):
So I did my first book when I was twenty one.
I think it was kind of like it's called I
Don't Belong to You. Is really about the realization that
you you know, starting to understand that I don't really
I'm never going to really get life, you know what
I mean. I think at eighteen, you're assuming, because everybody's
like you're grown, that something's going to click, and it
didn't happen. And so I think I was like living
with that, and I wrote that first book, you know,
and it was about realizing that I don't belong to
(02:40):
other people's ideas of me. And so I think this
is kind of like an evolution of what those beginning
theories or themes were in my life, and now it's
about mastering me, mastering and controlling how I feel about
those ever changing waves in my life.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Do you ever look back at your first book and go, Wow,
that was me then And I'm definitely not there now,
I'm not thinking that way and I have yeah since then.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I think, yes, especially my ideas around the things that
I was talking about back then.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I think that's evolved. My understanding of it has.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
You know, you have perspective with time is you know
you're not going to ever really see things for as
they are, I think, until you get away from them.
And so when I look at all that's happened in
those ten years and how it's informed my experiences, I'm
not the same person.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I'm much clearer.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
You know. Well, so what you're thirty one, thirty one
years old? Honey, I am thirty. I'm thirty years older
than here, and I'm not going to tell you right. Oh,
oh my.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Gosh, come on now, really thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'll explain this bad mustache in a second. Thirty one
and I'm a sixty one year old. Oh, she doesn't
know anything yet.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
This is the journey of life, the things you grow
and learn, the good, the bad, and God knows we've
all had all of it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, and I talk about it. So, I mean, I
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I think there's again, life is going to keep on
teaching you more and more and more. Like what I
thought it twenty one changed from what I think at
thirty one. I'm just going to keep on going forty one,
one fifty one, et cetera, et cetera. But I want
to remember myself the way that I know me. I
think that's also a part of why I started to
love writing books like this, is because I get to
(04:12):
tell my own story. You know, the subtitle it's Master
of Me. But it's the secret to controlling your narrative.
And I think that's so important in life because so
many people try to tell you who you are.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, now I have two books on the top of
my stack, my mountain of books ki kis of course
Master of Me and Share Part one.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Oh my gosh, yes, chare part one. Now where's part
two at?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
She hasn't even started it?
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, wow, so part one came out yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
She almost didn't do two.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I love that it's just being known though it's known
that it's coming. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Before, so Gandhi and I were talking, we were all
three talking earlier about how the timing of this book.
We are in very much assumption that it is perfect
for the times with other people who are in the business,
Right Gandhi, what were you saying?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah? Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (04:54):
Can she hear me without the headphone?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Oh well a little bit? Can you hear yep, I agree. Now,
don't miss with the hair.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
What a g the hair is incredible. No, I just
I know that so much has been going on, and
you've been in Hollywood. Growing up on its own is crazy.
Growing up in Hollywood has to be crazier. And now
we're getting all of these stories coming out where people
are finally stepping forward and saying, hey, here's what I
saw and here's what I am not okay with. In
that context, what have you learned?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I think the biggest thing I've learned or I realized.
And maybe this is just you know, my reframing, but
is that we all? I mean, the industry is so sensationalized.
Being a child entertainer is so sensationalized. It's a unique experience.
I'm not gonna, you know, doubt that, but I do
think a lot of us were parentalized children. I mean,
you know, especially those of us that grew up in
an inner city community or you know, not with a
(05:45):
lot of money. We had to get out and do
it our own way and handle you know, kind of
like lose our innocence to a certain degree. And so
a big part of what I talk about in the
book when I do share my stories. You know, it's
not just to say, hey, this is my life, but
it's to show the similarities of what we're all experiencing,
trying to make it, you know, losing our innocence, the
necessary losses that come with growing up. So even though
(06:06):
minds are in the backdrop of entertainment, I really always
try to pull it down and ground myself. These are
the themes we all experience in life. You know, you're
not going to get your childhood back, and there is
no perfect childhood. There's always some stuff that you wish
you could have did, especially when you watch a Disney
Channel show and you're like, why.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
My life ain't like that? You know what nobody is?
You know, nobody is.
Speaker 6 (06:25):
I think that you have been able to figure out
a way to still navigate Hollywood and maintain your innocence
and still be a kid. Like do you have advice
for little kiddie stars right now?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
My honest answer would be the innocence will be lost.
It will be lost. Innocence is lost in responsibility, and
I think it's a necessary loss. I mean think you
should try to, you know, pace it out right, because
you don't want to be overwhelmed. You don't want to
take on too much, but sometimes that's what life hands you.
And so I think I deal more in not feeling
bad around that it is what it is. I think
(06:58):
acceptance is so important. We can sit and we can
dwell and we can say, well, I wish I had
it more like this, I wish I had it like that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
But overall, I.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Am grateful for the discipline, the responsibilities, the things that
I learned having the childhood that I had, you know,
and I don't think it you know, I don't. I
wouldn't change it, and I don't think it can change
whether you are Keetee Palmer, lebron James Kobe Bryant. You know, sports,
doing anything that you're going to be focused on and
putting your all into is going to require you to
(07:27):
be responsible and for you to take on things you
otherwise wouldn't And there is a loss of innocence for
a child in that.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Okay, are you at the age where you finally can
look back and say and look at the most awful
train wreck moments of your life and go, you know what,
I didn't like it, but I needed that, yes, you know,
And it's hard to do that because you never want
to put yourself through that or any other You don't
want anyone to lift through that. But you did and
(07:54):
you got out through the other side.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Yeah, I mean, I've had so many situations like that,
personal and professional. You know, it's like, you know, you
call it like a situational accelerator, where this situation slowly
it's it's situational accelerator. I got this from Society Fast
Sensational situational situational accelerator. So it's like, you know, the
situation literally accelerates you without it, otherwise you maybe wouldn't have,
(08:19):
you know, be at the place you are of understanding
or perspective or whatever it is. And so yeah, I
feel like for me in my life, I've had so
many moments where I've the situation has accelerated me to
seeing things in a different way, having to lean into it.
I'm big on leaning and surrendering into it because that's
the only way that you get through it. And it's
cliche when we say that, but it really is true
because I have.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
To be honest with myself.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
If I'm not honest with myself in these situations, then
there's no way for me to overcome them.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Denial is zero enemy.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
It really is.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It really is. I grew up in a house of denial.
I mean we we would just all that, all that's
awful that happened. Let's have lunch and you get nowhere.
You do not grow with that.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, but it's tough. It's tough, pieces tough.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
I feel like we beat ourselves up so much as
human beings for having emotions, you know, but it's like
that is the experience, you know, we kind of have
to have them, That's the experience, you know, to feel sad,
to feel happy. If we wasn't, we'd just be like
some floating things that don't feel not.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
That coaster, right, we got to we got to do
you want a straight train track or do you want
a roller coaster? I prefer the roller coast.
Speaker 7 (09:23):
And now you worked for Universal, you've worked for Disney.
So do you if you had a pick one, do
you have a preference?
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Say it right now?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:32):
I mean, I will be honest. I love working for Disney.
I really did love working for them because I love
what their brand stands for. I like the stories that
they tell, you know, whether it's Pixar, whether it's Walt
you know where you know, all the different aspects of it.
I think they're a great storytelling business overall. And then
if I could say who I liked working with just technically, hmmm,
(09:58):
I don't know. I guess that they would be the
best because I've worked at every different version of Disney.
I worked for what I did GMA, I've hosted for
them for Disney. Plus I did Disney Channel I did
you know?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I did what is the one we did but with
light Year?
Speaker 4 (10:13):
So yeah, I mean, yeah, I think I liked working
with Disney, you know what I mean. But I liked
working with Universal as well. It was a good, enjoyable time.
But yeah, yeah, Disney is fun.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Hey, you know, and I'm stealing this from So when
I read I read this from the other day. Look back,
I mean, let's go back to barbershop too. Let's go.
Let's go, Let's go back where I first fell in
love with Dickey Parker. Let's go back to those days
to now. What is a memory you can just flash
on right now, A memory you want to hold on
to forever, something you never want to let go of.
(10:46):
This memory, Its just be one, doesn't have to be
the one right exactly.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I mean, I just remember turning. I think I turned
ten on that set, and I remember Michael Ealy. He
was so fine even back then. Okay, but I think
I remember being on that set, the feeling of being
a performer, and like the cameras being on you and
doing I always loved following directions. I always loved the act.
(11:15):
I think that was the sportsmanship of acting. Aside from
the emotions and all the other aspects to being an artist,
it was a director. I'm helping a director. I'm collaborating
with a group of people to get a vision across.
And when I first discovered that, you know, to be
that I could be used in that way for a
bigger picture, that's what I fell in love with.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
So at ten years old, it wasn't playtime anymore. You
saw there was something else going on. As a young girl,
I did.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
And I couldn't articulate it.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
But like even as early as being in a church
I talk about this in the book, like seeing my
mom perform, I wouldn't have been able to articulate it,
but I knew that there was a chain reaction from
her singing and what the audience felt and us in
the congregation. That being something that brought people together. That's
what I wanted to be a part of. And I
think artistry was any point and it still is an
entry point for me to get to that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
You've ever done stage work? Done Broadway?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I did? I did a Cinderella.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Did you find some satisfaction in that?
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I found a ton of setdas because they're there? Yes,
I mean, if they don't like you, you kind of feeling.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
So it's on.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's on that immediate gratification of that audience watching you,
you watching them, you performing and NonStop. There's no cut,
you know what I mean, It's just action and you
go until the show is over. And it was an
amazing experience that I realized for me was I was,
you know, even though I hadn't done a lot of
theater yet, I was a theater kid because my parents
were in theater and that's how they trained me as
(12:36):
a performer.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Hey, Gandhi had another question for you. What's that? Gandhi?
Speaker 6 (12:40):
So you have so many talents, You've done a million things,
from hosting to acting. We know that you're a good singer,
You've obviously done Broadway. Is there a chance that we
get more of that in the future from you.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Yeah, I would love to do Bad Way again. You know,
it's so funny. I just was watching a clip of
Denzel online. He was like, you don't learn how to
act the movies. You learn how to act on stage.
And I was like, shit, I got to be back
on stage. But I am actually gonna be doing something
next year, and I'm hoping everything goes good. You know.
It's so hard to get one of those Broadway theaters.
But there's a project with spring Hill and Debbie Allen
(13:09):
called Ali and Fletcher about the Mohammad Ali story and
his relationship with Stephen Fletcher. And I would be playing
his Muhamad Ali's first wife, Sanjy and so I'm very
excited about that. It's just it's a play, so there's
no music. But I love being on stage. I would love,
obviously to work with Debbie Allen.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
She's iconic, Debbie Allen, the full package. Yes, you know,
she really does well.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I could be like the first old white gay guy,
Debbie Allen.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
She's gonna spin her coffee. Uncle, come on, guncle, I'm
here for that.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Why not?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Gosh, I mean, why not?
Speaker 7 (13:48):
The way I have a question about the book. If
I listen to it on like an audible, are you
telling the story? Yes, yes, I live take an edible,
turn on adible.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's a move.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
That's a move if you're just turning us on. A
Master of Me is her new biography. It's Keiki Palmer.
Of course I love the cover.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Okay, of course, I'm sure you've been asked. I'm gonna
ask you again. It's a beautiful photo of Kiki and
she's holding a marionette. Who obviously is you, I'm assuming yep.
So meaning you're a puppet, you're being you're controlling you,
or someone's controlling you. This is the old you that's
now being controlled by you. You just be controlled by others.
What the hell is going on?
Speaker 4 (14:29):
I think it was a lot of everything you just said.
I think I think that the truth is I've always
been controlling me. But I think as you grow older,
you become more concrete and intentional behind the moves you make,
and the influences outside of you don't have as much
of an impact anymore. And so I chose this cover
because also as a performer, people are always trying to
(14:53):
tell you who to be and how to be or
even just existing as a performer. You're kind of seen
as this one dimensional thing. And I'm moving in a
place for me in my career that I've always wanted
to be, which is I'm not just a performer. I
have ideas behind that, you know, I put you know
for me, Keiki Palmer, It's a brand that my mother
and I created, and I want to start to tell
that full story, not just a story of what movie
(15:15):
I'm doing or this thing that I'm in, but like
the real meaning behind why I started in this business,
what it means for my community, where I want to
take it, and what I want, you know, not in
this overly drawn out thing, but what I want my
legacy to be.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I don't want it to just be me, Kiki. I
wanted to be everything I stood for, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
And so that's that's the next chapter of what I'm
talking about when it comes to the story I'm telling
to my audience.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Well, in just fifteen minutes, look at all of the
definition that she has shown or shined the light on her,
and we've learned so much about you. But you're not
leaving yet, yes, yes, so.
Speaker 7 (15:48):
Now you're growing up in this business. You know all
about this business, you're writing about it. Your son comes
to you and says, Mom, this is what I want
to do with my life. Do you say yes or
do you say run the other direction?
Speaker 4 (15:58):
I say yes, But I tell him exactly what I
was just telling y'all, which is it's going to come
with like, by the way, if it's not entertainment, it's
gonna be something.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
You know, he's gonna want to do something.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
And you can see it already, because.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You know everybody likes something. I want him to find something.
If it's sports, if it's writings, painting.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Oh my god. He's not even too yet. He'll be
two in February.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
But you know what he's already in his eye could
be a ham stage.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Yes, personality is coming through. And it's crazy, it really is.
He's always attacking his aunties.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
It's too much.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
But yeah, I would just tell him that what my
parents told me is that you start something, you finish it,
you know what I mean. I think that's tough sometimes,
but I think it's so important. And even though it
was tough for me in moments, I'm really happy that
I stuck through my thing, which was performing and I've
learned so much about myself through staying committed into that.
So that's why I would let him know is that
if you're gonna start something, you need to finish it,
(16:49):
and I'm I'm gonna make.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Sure you finish it.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
So if you would soccer, if it's acting, and we
commit to doing it, son, then that's gonna be the thing.
And until we realize, like maybe you know, finish it
all the way to the en. If you still don't
want to do it, then cool. But when you get
over that, heel that you start to have that true relationship.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
With that thing.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Wow, you know, and just hearing you speak about your
life and how you definitely are taking the reins you're
in charge. There's a lot of power into being able
to as an actor sit back and let someone else
take a little bit of control over your movements, your thoughts,
how you process apart. Yes, and a story. Absolutely, So
(17:29):
you have to really trust yourself to be able to
let So it's like I have to go I have
to go in for brain surgery. I have to know
I got to give up. I gotta or let the
surgeon's in charge. Now, Yes, the pilot in the front
of the plane. He's in charge of my life now,
and I have to submit to that. Yes, And it
takes self love to be able to let others drive
(17:51):
the car.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It really does.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
And it's there's so much autonomy. I think we get
scared sometimes with that reality, but there's so much an autonoity.
Autonomy is saying I choose you as my doctor, or
I choose you as the director, or I choose you
as the producer I'm gonna make this. I choose you
as the collaborator that I'm gonna do my show with.
There's still autonomy and you surrendering yourself to that person.
And that's why I always say you should have partners
that you respect, you know, anytime you go into a
(18:14):
situation like I'm on set sometimes and I'll see an
actor going back and forth with director, I'm like, what
you did this movie for?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
If you didn't trust the dude, why'd you do the movie?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
And so for me, that's one of the most exciting
things to do as a collaborator in anything I do,
is to surrender with my partner and to find that
thing together, you know, because that's I think that's what
it's about we.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Only have a few more seconds. Gandhi, head of the question,
took the headphones. We go again.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
I know that you were recently talking about your experience
with the mac Gala. Is the mac Gala something you
would recommend other people going to or is it something
people should avoid.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I don't know that people should avoid it, but I
definitely don't know that it's for everybody.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right, So wait, what was your experience? What did you think?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I just felt out of place. I felt uncomfortable. I
didn't like what I was wearing. All these people around
me were and I was being pushed around. I feel
like there's in a hallway.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Most people could feel that way. It's a lot going on.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
It doesn't matter how much big of a celebrity or
whatever you are, you still get you feel pushed around,
and it's a.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
Carpet like the most exciting thing, and then once you
get inside it's not as exciting.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Yeah, I think that.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
I mean there's like a performance aspect, So if you like,
you know, if you're interested in who's a performer, or
if you know people in there, you know you have
people that you want to talk to. But ultimately, I
think it's like a you know, I realized and without
saying like a networking event, but essentially it's a place
for you to collaborate with fashion, and you know, as
an entertainer, whatever your medium means, it's an opportunity for
(19:40):
you to find other people to collaborate and tell stories with.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
But I don't think that you feel that way going
in the first time.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
It's kind of overwhelming, you don't really you know, fashion
can feel elitist, so you sometimes are like did I
wear the right thing? And you're questioning your a vibe
and did I get the theme right? But once you've
gone back a couple more times, you realize, okay, this
is I'm really with a group of storytellers and they're
used in fashion to tell their story, and then that
becomes a little bit more interesting, you know what I'm saying.
(20:05):
Like the first couple of times I went with Sergio
Hudson and he was the person that really helped me
to understand it from that standpoint, you know, And then
I you know, went the second the next time with
Mark Jacobs and the same thing, and so it can
become a really cool thing if you're into it. So
if you're not, then it's like, uh, but if you
are you know what I mean, then I would say.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Go for it.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
You know who I'm loving. This is a designer who
listens to our show, has been listening to our show since. Okay,
he's amazing. His name is stand by Evan Hirsch. Okay,
he's a big he's a big listener her show. He's
got a lot of stuff. I mean, I need to
see you some and some Evan Hirst.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
You do you do?
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I gotta get Evin stun me coing?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So don't did you get to did you get the
answer to the question? Because we don't want in off,
we splintered off.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
Well, I saw that she said Nicki minad She thought
Nicki Minaj was gonna curse her out.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
So because she doesn't play, okay, I haven't heard something.
So I was like, now wait a minute, Nikki and
I don't do it to me.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
But yeah, she was.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Actually really really sweet. She's I've always had a really
good relationship with her whenever I've seen her. It's not
a real relationship, but like she helped me get my
pictures for my for my uh you know, my baby
photos for David la Chapelle. And then when I seen
her at the mc gala. She was like, you know,
pull me to the side. I didn't know what she
was gonna say, because, like I said, I don't talk
to her that much. But she was really encouraging. And
it's something that I mentioned in the book that I think,
(21:22):
and I'm sure you feel the same way. You know,
you got all of us in our industry, you know it,
we're normal people and stuff like that, but the job
sometimes makes our experiences very unique, and even the people
closest to us don't always know how to help us
with that. So I felt, really, I really loved the
moment of her what she shared with me, which was
to make selfish choices even though I feel the weight
(21:45):
of people watching me. Wow, it's okay to be selfish
and make selfish choices even though people are watching me.
Because your life is your personal life. You're allowed to
have it. And I think I am somebody that takes
my being a public figure quite seriously. And so at
that time when she said that, it was very encouraging
to me because it's like, yeah, you know what, every
(22:06):
choice I'm making, everything I.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Do don't have to be for the world. Okay, if
it's if it's just for me.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
This is gonna apply to people who are not in public,
I mean anyone in everyone. No matter what you're doing
in life, you can make selfish choices. You can, and
you should because no one will make those selfish choices
for you. Hey, so there's someone here wants to meet you.
David works in our promo department. He brought you. He
brought you flowers. Don't mess up the hair, don't there's
(22:32):
hugging going on. He brought you some flowers, so sweet, David.
David was so excited you're coming in here today, babe, David,
David Ky Palmer, Dre you unice to meet you. I
never get nervous, but like for you, I'm taking the
(22:53):
flowers are beautiful, David, what what's your question?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
So?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I but what what have we learn from Kiki so far? Today? Everything?
Speaker 3 (23:02):
I think your book got on Amazon yesterday, so it
was waiting for me when I came home. But your
first work, you talked about not being typecasted and you know,
trying to not stick to one role. And that's kind
of what I've been through in my career, not trying
to stick to this one box.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Right.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I was following you forever, and I was telling Diamond
like I was channel hopping with you. So when you
were on Disney would jump in and then Nick with
True Jackson and my grandma and I saw a Khila
and the Bee like I was there. So I'm such
a big fan and just thank you for the representation
of me, like growing up being young, gay, not having
(23:42):
anybody to.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Look up to.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I was like, Okay, well I'm not a girl, but
I could definitely watch and learn from you, like just
having that representation, having an icon.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
I thank everything that you just said. It means so
much to me.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Seriously, just idols and idols that are still here, still working,
still getting coins.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
For everyone, for everyone David you meet. There's hundreds of
thousands of other David's out there, or Donna's or you
know or not my pronoun is it? What does it want?
It's on the phone. But anyway, but David David is
(24:27):
vocalizing what many made people want to say to you.
So just he is the chorus of your fans. So
just enjoying those flowers.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And I got to tell you, Akik, it's a pleasure
and honor to have you here. The book is called
Master of Me. Obviously you've heard many reasons why you
need to make this thing in New York Times bestseller.
I learned this with my book. If you're just on
that New York Times bestseller list for one minute, you've
got it because I was for about a minute period.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
I know that's right. Well, you got to let me
rub on.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
You got David Kekey Popper is just loving me an event.
Thank you so much for coming in.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
It's you've got a long day when you're pushing books.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
You get to my come Gandi. You know y'all got
to be in a studio. Y'all got to be.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
How sad I am right now?
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I'm so sad.
Speaker 6 (25:14):
Every time we mentioned you, I.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Was like, I'm so sad that I'm not there today.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I know you were definitely definitely here, so you are.
It's Kicky Palmer. Everyone. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Good morning. Black Friday isn't here yet, but Black Friday
deals are at Macy's right now. Finish your shopping early,
get the best deals on gifts for everyone. But you
gotta hurry. The event only last through November twenty third.
Let Macy's be your Guide to gifting. Shop now at
Macy's dot com.
From the Mercedes Ben's Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Wow sounds impressive, don't it It is? Anyway, we love biographies,
We love learning about people their lives. And in the
fact that I wrote one, you learn a lot about
yourself when you write your own story. I mean you
read it in the third person, like, oh my god,
this guy, he's had to really screwed up life. Oh
that's me. Kind of cool. Anyway. Kiki Palmer has been
(00:27):
doing the business since she was so young, and now
here she is in her thirties, she's still doing it.
She wrote her book called Master of Me, and this is,
as Gandhi was saying, a very perfect, perfectly timed book,
of course, with all the stories coming out, where we
learn more about people who grew up in the business
and what they're all about. She's putting she's smoking a cigarette.
Which what is she doing. She's putting a lipstick.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, Nate's doing a lipstick motion with his an.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I thought she's out. Kiki's out smoking a cigarette. She'll
be here in a moment. I don't know his lipstick done.
Kicky Palmer, come on in here, Hey, this is right here.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
How are you? How are you? Oh? My gosh, she
is gorgeous.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
By the way, when you walk past Danielle, she does
the sniff tap.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, you smell good.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It's kind of creepy when guests come in and the
first thing we talk about is the way they smell.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Haha.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
But also smelling is a good you know smell.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Can you keep an eye on Key's microphone level? Make
sure you're good. Yes, Hey, welcome to the show. And
as you know me, when you put a book out,
you gotta get up early in the morning.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Oh my gosh, boy, the last couple of days four am,
four am, there's.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Been no joke.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Welcome to our hell, it's no joke. This is why
we look like this. So uh gandhi, our co host
is in Hey, she's in Columbus, so she's doing the
show there. Froggy is in Jacksonville up there. Daniel's here
and I'm Elvis, your host. How's your espresso?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's fabulous. I do appreciate this obviously, four am.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It's honey, this is needed. Mama needs fuel. You know
what I'm saying. What made you? You don't have to,
you don't have to. The hair's looking perfect, thank you.
Headphones ruined great hair. What made you can decide to
do a book? I mean it's a very general easy question,
but no, what what's your story?
Speaker 4 (02:19):
So I did my first book when I was twenty one.
I think it was kind of like it's called I
Don't Belong to You. Is really about the realization that
you you know, starting to understand that I don't really
I'm never going to really get life, you know what
I mean. I think at eighteen, you're assuming, because everybody's
like you're grown, that something's going to click, and it
didn't happen. And so I think I was like living
with that, and I wrote that first book, you know,
and it was about realizing that I don't belong to
(02:40):
other people's ideas of me. And so I think this
is kind of like an evolution of what those beginning
theories or themes were in my life, and now it's
about mastering me, mastering and controlling how I feel about
those ever changing waves in my life.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Do you ever look back at your first book and go, Wow,
that was me then And I'm definitely not there now,
I'm not thinking that way and I have yeah since then.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I think, yes, especially my ideas around the things that
I was talking about back then.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I think that's evolved. My understanding of it has.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
You know, you have perspective with time is you know
you're not going to ever really see things for as
they are, I think, until you get away from them.
And so when I look at all that's happened in
those ten years and how it's informed my experiences, I'm
not the same person.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I'm much clearer.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
You know. Well, so what you're thirty one, thirty one
years old? Honey, I am thirty. I'm thirty years older
than here, and I'm not going to tell you right. Oh,
oh my.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Gosh, come on now, really thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'll explain this bad mustache in a second. Thirty one
and I'm a sixty one year old. Oh, she doesn't
know anything yet.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
This is the journey of life, the things you grow
and learn, the good, the bad, and God knows we've
all had all of it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Yeah, and I talk about it. So, I mean, I
agree with you.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I think there's again, life is going to keep on
teaching you more and more and more. Like what I
thought it twenty one changed from what I think at
thirty one. I'm just going to keep on going forty one,
one fifty one, et cetera, et cetera. But I want
to remember myself the way that I know me. I
think that's also a part of why I started to
love writing books like this, is because I get to
(04:12):
tell my own story. You know, the subtitle it's Master
of Me. But it's the secret to controlling your narrative.
And I think that's so important in life because so
many people try to tell you who you are.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, now I have two books on the top of
my stack, my mountain of books ki kis of course
Master of Me and Share Part one.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Oh my gosh, yes, chare part one. Now where's part
two at?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
She hasn't even started it?
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, wow, so part one came out yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
She almost didn't do two.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I love that it's just being known though it's known
that it's coming. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Before, so Gandhi and I were talking, we were all
three talking earlier about how the timing of this book.
We are in very much assumption that it is perfect
for the times with other people who are in the business,
Right Gandhi, what were you saying?
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah? Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (04:54):
Can she hear me without the headphone?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Oh well a little bit? Can you hear yep, I agree. Now,
don't miss with the hair.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
What a g the hair is incredible. No, I just
I know that so much has been going on, and
you've been in Hollywood. Growing up on its own is crazy.
Growing up in Hollywood has to be crazier. And now
we're getting all of these stories coming out where people
are finally stepping forward and saying, hey, here's what I
saw and here's what I am not okay with. In
that context, what have you learned?
Speaker 4 (05:23):
I think the biggest thing I've learned or I realized.
And maybe this is just you know, my reframing, but
is that we all? I mean, the industry is so sensationalized.
Being a child entertainer is so sensationalized. It's a unique experience.
I'm not gonna, you know, doubt that, but I do
think a lot of us were parentalized children. I mean,
you know, especially those of us that grew up in
an inner city community or you know, not with a
(05:45):
lot of money. We had to get out and do
it our own way and handle you know, kind of
like lose our innocence to a certain degree. And so
a big part of what I talk about in the
book when I do share my stories. You know, it's
not just to say, hey, this is my life, but
it's to show the similarities of what we're all experiencing,
trying to make it, you know, losing our innocence, the
necessary losses that come with growing up. So even though
(06:06):
minds are in the backdrop of entertainment, I really always
try to pull it down and ground myself. These are
the themes we all experience in life. You know, you're
not going to get your childhood back, and there is
no perfect childhood. There's always some stuff that you wish
you could have did, especially when you watch a Disney
Channel show and you're like, why.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
My life ain't like that? You know what nobody is?
You know, nobody is.
Speaker 6 (06:25):
I think that you have been able to figure out
a way to still navigate Hollywood and maintain your innocence
and still be a kid. Like do you have advice
for little kiddie stars right now?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
My honest answer would be the innocence will be lost.
It will be lost. Innocence is lost in responsibility, and
I think it's a necessary loss. I mean think you
should try to, you know, pace it out right, because
you don't want to be overwhelmed. You don't want to
take on too much, but sometimes that's what life hands you.
And so I think I deal more in not feeling
bad around that it is what it is. I think
(06:58):
acceptance is so important. We can sit and we can
dwell and we can say, well, I wish I had
it more like this, I wish I had it like that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
But overall, I.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Am grateful for the discipline, the responsibilities, the things that
I learned having the childhood that I had, you know,
and I don't think it you know, I don't. I
wouldn't change it, and I don't think it can change
whether you are Keetee Palmer, lebron James Kobe Bryant. You know, sports,
doing anything that you're going to be focused on and
putting your all into is going to require you to
(07:27):
be responsible and for you to take on things you
otherwise wouldn't And there is a loss of innocence for
a child in that.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Okay, are you at the age where you finally can
look back and say and look at the most awful
train wreck moments of your life and go, you know what,
I didn't like it, but I needed that, yes, you know,
And it's hard to do that because you never want
to put yourself through that or any other You don't
want anyone to lift through that. But you did and
(07:54):
you got out through the other side.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Yeah, I mean, I've had so many situations like that,
personal and professional. You know, it's like, you know, you
call it like a situational accelerator, where this situation slowly
it's it's situational accelerator. I got this from Society Fast
Sensational situational situational accelerator. So it's like, you know, the
situation literally accelerates you without it, otherwise you maybe wouldn't have,
(08:19):
you know, be at the place you are of understanding
or perspective or whatever it is. And so yeah, I
feel like for me in my life, I've had so
many moments where I've the situation has accelerated me to
seeing things in a different way, having to lean into it.
I'm big on leaning and surrendering into it because that's
the only way that you get through it. And it's
cliche when we say that, but it really is true
because I have.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
To be honest with myself.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
If I'm not honest with myself in these situations, then
there's no way for me to overcome them.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Denial is zero enemy.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
It really is.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It really is. I grew up in a house of denial.
I mean we we would just all that, all that's
awful that happened. Let's have lunch and you get nowhere.
You do not grow with that.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, but it's tough. It's tough, pieces tough.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
I feel like we beat ourselves up so much as
human beings for having emotions, you know, but it's like
that is the experience, you know, we kind of have
to have them, That's the experience, you know, to feel sad,
to feel happy. If we wasn't, we'd just be like
some floating things that don't feel not.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
That coaster, right, we got to we got to do
you want a straight train track or do you want
a roller coaster? I prefer the roller coast.
Speaker 7 (09:23):
And now you worked for Universal, you've worked for Disney.
So do you if you had a pick one, do
you have a preference?
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Say it right now?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:32):
I mean, I will be honest. I love working for Disney.
I really did love working for them because I love
what their brand stands for. I like the stories that
they tell, you know, whether it's Pixar, whether it's Walt
you know where you know, all the different aspects of it.
I think they're a great storytelling business overall. And then
if I could say who I liked working with just technically, hmmm,
(09:58):
I don't know. I guess that they would be the
best because I've worked at every different version of Disney.
I worked for what I did GMA, I've hosted for
them for Disney. Plus I did Disney Channel I did
you know?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
I did what is the one we did but with
light Year?
Speaker 4 (10:13):
So yeah, I mean, yeah, I think I liked working
with Disney, you know what I mean. But I liked
working with Universal as well. It was a good, enjoyable time.
But yeah, yeah, Disney is fun.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Hey, you know, and I'm stealing this from So when
I read I read this from the other day. Look back,
I mean, let's go back to barbershop too. Let's go.
Let's go, Let's go back where I first fell in
love with Dickey Parker. Let's go back to those days
to now. What is a memory you can just flash
on right now, A memory you want to hold on
to forever, something you never want to let go of.
(10:46):
This memory, Its just be one, doesn't have to be
the one right exactly.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I mean, I just remember turning. I think I turned
ten on that set, and I remember Michael Ealy. He
was so fine even back then. Okay, but I think
I remember being on that set, the feeling of being
a performer, and like the cameras being on you and
doing I always loved following directions. I always loved the act.
(11:15):
I think that was the sportsmanship of acting. Aside from
the emotions and all the other aspects to being an artist,
it was a director. I'm helping a director. I'm collaborating
with a group of people to get a vision across.
And when I first discovered that, you know, to be
that I could be used in that way for a
bigger picture, that's what I fell in love with.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
So at ten years old, it wasn't playtime anymore. You
saw there was something else going on. As a young girl,
I did.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
And I couldn't articulate it.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
But like even as early as being in a church
I talk about this in the book, like seeing my
mom perform, I wouldn't have been able to articulate it,
but I knew that there was a chain reaction from
her singing and what the audience felt and us in
the congregation. That being something that brought people together. That's
what I wanted to be a part of. And I
think artistry was any point and it still is an
entry point for me to get to that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
You've ever done stage work? Done Broadway?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I did? I did a Cinderella.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Did you find some satisfaction in that?
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I found a ton of setdas because they're there? Yes,
I mean, if they don't like you, you kind of feeling.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
So it's on.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's on that immediate gratification of that audience watching you,
you watching them, you performing and NonStop. There's no cut,
you know what I mean, It's just action and you
go until the show is over. And it was an
amazing experience that I realized for me was I was,
you know, even though I hadn't done a lot of
theater yet, I was a theater kid because my parents
were in theater and that's how they trained me as
(12:36):
a performer.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Hey, Gandhi had another question for you. What's that? Gandhi?
Speaker 6 (12:40):
So you have so many talents, You've done a million things,
from hosting to acting. We know that you're a good singer,
You've obviously done Broadway. Is there a chance that we
get more of that in the future from you.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
Yeah, I would love to do Bad Way again. You know,
it's so funny. I just was watching a clip of
Denzel online. He was like, you don't learn how to
act the movies. You learn how to act on stage.
And I was like, shit, I got to be back
on stage. But I am actually gonna be doing something
next year, and I'm hoping everything goes good. You know.
It's so hard to get one of those Broadway theaters.
But there's a project with spring Hill and Debbie Allen
(13:09):
called Ali and Fletcher about the Mohammad Ali story and
his relationship with Stephen Fletcher. And I would be playing
his Muhamad Ali's first wife, Sanjy and so I'm very
excited about that. It's just it's a play, so there's
no music. But I love being on stage. I would love,
obviously to work with Debbie Allen.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
She's iconic, Debbie Allen, the full package. Yes, you know,
she really does well.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I could be like the first old white gay guy,
Debbie Allen.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
She's gonna spin her coffee. Uncle, come on, guncle, I'm
here for that.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Why not?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Gosh, I mean, why not?
Speaker 7 (13:48):
The way I have a question about the book. If
I listen to it on like an audible, are you
telling the story? Yes, yes, I live take an edible,
turn on adible.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
That's a move.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
That's a move if you're just turning us on. A
Master of Me is her new biography. It's Keiki Palmer.
Of course I love the cover.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Okay, of course, I'm sure you've been asked. I'm gonna
ask you again. It's a beautiful photo of Kiki and
she's holding a marionette. Who obviously is you, I'm assuming yep.
So meaning you're a puppet, you're being you're controlling you,
or someone's controlling you. This is the old you that's
now being controlled by you. You just be controlled by others.
What the hell is going on?
Speaker 4 (14:29):
I think it was a lot of everything you just said.
I think I think that the truth is I've always
been controlling me. But I think as you grow older,
you become more concrete and intentional behind the moves you make,
and the influences outside of you don't have as much
of an impact anymore. And so I chose this cover
because also as a performer, people are always trying to
(14:53):
tell you who to be and how to be or
even just existing as a performer. You're kind of seen
as this one dimensional thing. And I'm moving in a
place for me in my career that I've always wanted
to be, which is I'm not just a performer. I
have ideas behind that, you know, I put you know
for me, Keiki Palmer, It's a brand that my mother
and I created, and I want to start to tell
that full story, not just a story of what movie
(15:15):
I'm doing or this thing that I'm in, but like
the real meaning behind why I started in this business,
what it means for my community, where I want to
take it, and what I want, you know, not in
this overly drawn out thing, but what I want my
legacy to be.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I don't want it to just be me, Kiki. I
wanted to be everything I stood for, you know.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
And so that's that's the next chapter of what I'm
talking about when it comes to the story I'm telling
to my audience.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Well, in just fifteen minutes, look at all of the
definition that she has shown or shined the light on her,
and we've learned so much about you. But you're not
leaving yet, yes, yes, so.
Speaker 7 (15:48):
Now you're growing up in this business. You know all
about this business, you're writing about it. Your son comes
to you and says, Mom, this is what I want
to do with my life. Do you say yes or
do you say run the other direction?
Speaker 4 (15:58):
I say yes, But I tell him exactly what I
was just telling y'all, which is it's going to come
with like, by the way, if it's not entertainment, it's
gonna be something.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
You know, he's gonna want to do something.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
And you can see it already, because.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
You know everybody likes something. I want him to find something.
If it's sports, if it's writings, painting.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Oh my god. He's not even too yet. He'll be
two in February.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
But you know what he's already in his eye could
be a ham stage.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
Yes, personality is coming through. And it's crazy, it really is.
He's always attacking his aunties.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
It's too much.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
But yeah, I would just tell him that what my
parents told me is that you start something, you finish it,
you know what I mean. I think that's tough sometimes,
but I think it's so important. And even though it
was tough for me in moments, I'm really happy that
I stuck through my thing, which was performing and I've
learned so much about myself through staying committed into that.
So that's why I would let him know is that
if you're gonna start something, you need to finish it,
(16:49):
and I'm I'm gonna make.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Sure you finish it.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
So if you would soccer, if it's acting, and we
commit to doing it, son, then that's gonna be the thing.
And until we realize, like maybe you know, finish it
all the way to the en. If you still don't
want to do it, then cool. But when you get
over that, heel that you start to have that true relationship.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
With that thing.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Wow, you know, and just hearing you speak about your
life and how you definitely are taking the reins you're
in charge. There's a lot of power into being able
to as an actor sit back and let someone else
take a little bit of control over your movements, your thoughts,
how you process apart. Yes, and a story. Absolutely, So
(17:29):
you have to really trust yourself to be able to
let So it's like I have to go I have
to go in for brain surgery. I have to know
I got to give up. I gotta or let the
surgeon's in charge. Now, Yes, the pilot in the front
of the plane. He's in charge of my life now,
and I have to submit to that. Yes, And it
takes self love to be able to let others drive
(17:51):
the car.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It really does.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
And it's there's so much autonomy. I think we get
scared sometimes with that reality, but there's so much an autonoity.
Autonomy is saying I choose you as my doctor, or
I choose you as the director, or I choose you
as the producer I'm gonna make this. I choose you
as the collaborator that I'm gonna do my show with.
There's still autonomy and you surrendering yourself to that person.
And that's why I always say you should have partners
that you respect, you know, anytime you go into a
(18:14):
situation like I'm on set sometimes and I'll see an
actor going back and forth with director, I'm like, what
you did this movie for?
Speaker 1 (18:19):
If you didn't trust the dude, why'd you do the movie?
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (18:23):
And so for me, that's one of the most exciting
things to do as a collaborator in anything I do,
is to surrender with my partner and to find that
thing together, you know, because that's I think that's what
it's about we.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Only have a few more seconds. Gandhi, head of the question,
took the headphones. We go again.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
I know that you were recently talking about your experience
with the mac Gala. Is the mac Gala something you
would recommend other people going to or is it something
people should avoid.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I don't know that people should avoid it, but I
definitely don't know that it's for everybody.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right, So wait, what was your experience? What did you think?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I just felt out of place. I felt uncomfortable. I
didn't like what I was wearing. All these people around
me were and I was being pushed around. I feel
like there's in a hallway.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Most people could feel that way. It's a lot going on.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
It doesn't matter how much big of a celebrity or
whatever you are, you still get you feel pushed around,
and it's a.
Speaker 7 (19:15):
Carpet like the most exciting thing, and then once you
get inside it's not as exciting.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Yeah, I think that.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
I mean there's like a performance aspect, So if you like,
you know, if you're interested in who's a performer, or
if you know people in there, you know you have
people that you want to talk to. But ultimately, I
think it's like a you know, I realized and without
saying like a networking event, but essentially it's a place
for you to collaborate with fashion, and you know, as
an entertainer, whatever your medium means, it's an opportunity for
(19:40):
you to find other people to collaborate and tell stories with.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
But I don't think that you feel that way going
in the first time.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
It's kind of overwhelming, you don't really you know, fashion
can feel elitist, so you sometimes are like did I
wear the right thing? And you're questioning your a vibe
and did I get the theme right? But once you've
gone back a couple more times, you realize, okay, this
is I'm really with a group of storytellers and they're
used in fashion to tell their story, and then that
becomes a little bit more interesting, you know what I'm saying.
(20:05):
Like the first couple of times I went with Sergio
Hudson and he was the person that really helped me
to understand it from that standpoint, you know, And then
I you know, went the second the next time with
Mark Jacobs and the same thing, and so it can
become a really cool thing if you're into it. So
if you're not, then it's like, uh, but if you
are you know what I mean, then I would say.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Go for it.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
You know who I'm loving. This is a designer who
listens to our show, has been listening to our show since. Okay,
he's amazing. His name is stand by Evan Hirsch. Okay,
he's a big he's a big listener her show. He's
got a lot of stuff. I mean, I need to
see you some and some Evan Hirst.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
You do you do?
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I gotta get Evin stun me coing?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So don't did you get to did you get the
answer to the question? Because we don't want in off,
we splintered off.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
Well, I saw that she said Nicki minad She thought
Nicki Minaj was gonna curse her out.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
So because she doesn't play, okay, I haven't heard something.
So I was like, now wait a minute, Nikki and
I don't do it to me.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
But yeah, she was.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Actually really really sweet. She's I've always had a really
good relationship with her whenever I've seen her. It's not
a real relationship, but like she helped me get my
pictures for my for my uh you know, my baby
photos for David la Chapelle. And then when I seen
her at the mc gala. She was like, you know,
pull me to the side. I didn't know what she
was gonna say, because, like I said, I don't talk
to her that much. But she was really encouraging. And
it's something that I mentioned in the book that I think,
(21:22):
and I'm sure you feel the same way. You know,
you got all of us in our industry, you know it,
we're normal people and stuff like that, but the job
sometimes makes our experiences very unique, and even the people
closest to us don't always know how to help us
with that. So I felt, really, I really loved the
moment of her what she shared with me, which was
to make selfish choices even though I feel the weight
(21:45):
of people watching me. Wow, it's okay to be selfish
and make selfish choices even though people are watching me.
Because your life is your personal life. You're allowed to
have it. And I think I am somebody that takes
my being a public figure quite seriously. And so at
that time when she said that, it was very encouraging
to me because it's like, yeah, you know what, every
(22:06):
choice I'm making, everything I.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Do don't have to be for the world. Okay, if
it's if it's just for me.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
This is gonna apply to people who are not in public,
I mean anyone in everyone. No matter what you're doing
in life, you can make selfish choices. You can, and
you should because no one will make those selfish choices
for you. Hey, so there's someone here wants to meet you.
David works in our promo department. He brought you. He
brought you flowers. Don't mess up the hair, don't there's
(22:32):
hugging going on. He brought you some flowers, so sweet, David.
David was so excited you're coming in here today, babe, David,
David Ky Palmer, Dre you unice to meet you. I
never get nervous, but like for you, I'm taking the
(22:53):
flowers are beautiful, David, what what's your question?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
So?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I but what what have we learn from Kiki so far? Today? Everything?
Speaker 3 (23:02):
I think your book got on Amazon yesterday, so it
was waiting for me when I came home. But your
first work, you talked about not being typecasted and you know,
trying to not stick to one role. And that's kind
of what I've been through in my career, not trying
to stick to this one box.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Right.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I was following you forever, and I was telling Diamond
like I was channel hopping with you. So when you
were on Disney would jump in and then Nick with
True Jackson and my grandma and I saw a Khila
and the Bee like I was there. So I'm such
a big fan and just thank you for the representation
of me, like growing up being young, gay, not having
(23:42):
anybody to.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Look up to.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I was like, Okay, well I'm not a girl, but
I could definitely watch and learn from you, like just
having that representation, having an icon.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
I thank everything that you just said. It means so
much to me.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Seriously, just idols and idols that are still here, still working,
still getting coins.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
For everyone, for everyone David you meet. There's hundreds of
thousands of other David's out there, or Donna's or you
know or not my pronoun is it? What does it want?
It's on the phone. But anyway, but David David is
(24:27):
vocalizing what many made people want to say to you.
So just he is the chorus of your fans. So
just enjoying those flowers.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
And I got to tell you, Akik, it's a pleasure
and honor to have you here. The book is called
Master of Me. Obviously you've heard many reasons why you
need to make this thing in New York Times bestseller.
I learned this with my book. If you're just on
that New York Times bestseller list for one minute, you've
got it because I was for about a minute period.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
I know that's right. Well, you got to let me
rub on.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
You got David Kekey Popper is just loving me an event.
Thank you so much for coming in.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
It's you've got a long day when you're pushing books.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
You get to my come Gandi. You know y'all got
to be in a studio. Y'all got to be.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
How sad I am right now?
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I'm so sad.
Speaker 6 (25:14):
Every time we mentioned you, I.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Was like, I'm so sad that I'm not there today.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I know you were definitely definitely here, so you are.
It's Kicky Palmer. Everyone. Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Good morning. Black Friday isn't here yet, but Black Friday
deals are at Macy's right now. Finish your shopping early,
get the best deals on gifts for everyone. But you
gotta hurry. The event only last through November twenty third.
Let Macy's be your Guide to gifting. Shop now at
Macy's dot com.
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