Keke Palmer was given some sage advice from Ice Cube when she was a teenager, and though it didn’t necessarily resonate with her at the time, it has since proven to be something that has really stayed with her.
Appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast for a new episode published on Wednesday (November 20), Keke recalled the wise words from the legendary rapper and actor on set of their 2008 film, The Long Shots.
“I was on the set of The Long Shots with Ice Cube. He was very cool, very chill,” she began. “He didn’t say too much – a man of few words. But very nice and one day they were like, ‘Ice Cube wants to speak to you,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay…’ So they call me into a room and he’s like, way far distant from me and it’s some bodyguards there. And I’m [thinking], ‘What we about to talk about?’ You know? And he’s like, ‘I just want to tell you, Keke. You’re a beautiful young lady, and I see how kind you are and how nice you are to everybody on the set.
“‘But I want you to know you’re growing into a young woman, and a lot of times the way that people see you – the way that these men see you on set – it’s not the way you see yourself. So protect yourself, be careful and don’t let them take advantage of you. Know who you are and know what you have, so people can’t use it against you.”
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She continued: “And I didn’t understand it because I was like 14 at the time, and I said ‘Okay,’ and I walked out. But that stuck with me. And it was so important for him to say to me. He’s a father; he’s someone who has seen a lot in this industry especially with young entertainers. I always remember that, and I was always so grateful to him for that. I haven’t seen him since but I would love to tell him that really stuck with me all these years and thank you for reminding me.”
You can watch the full episode below. The Ice Cube convo begins around the 12:30 mark.
Keke Palmer had a tumultuous breakup with her child’s father Darius Jackson in 2023, which included the multi-hyphenate filing for a restraining order after she accused him of physical abuse during their relationship.
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A court granted her the temporary restraining order, which required Darius to stay away from her and their young son Leo.
In the filing, Palmer detailed several violent incidents, including one from 2022 where she alleged Jackson “slammed me on the floor and slapped my head from side to side” in their bedroom.
“The next morning, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs near the front door, screaming at me as I was coming down the stairs,” she added. “When I was almost at the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed me around the neck and body slammed me back onto the stairs.”
Palmer also included footage of an alleged attack by Jackson in early November, where she claims he “grabbed” her neck and face.
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In turn, Darius then filed for a restraining order against Palmer and claimed she was abusive towards him in their relationship.
He claimed that the 30-year-old actress admitted to hitting him and becoming verbally abusive after drinking alcohol.
In July, it was reported the pair had come to a resolution and settled out of court.
