Time magazine included her on its list of most influential people in the world in Palmer made her film debut as a child with roles in the films Barbershop 2: Back in Business and The Wool Cap both , [ 3 ] before achieving her breakthrough role as Akeelah Anderson in the drama film Akeelah and the Bee She rose to prominence on Nickelodeon , playing the title character in the sitcom True Jackson, VP β , providing the voice of Aisha in the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club β , and headlining the television film Rags She has since starred in the Fox satirical horror series Scream Queens β , the Epix drama series Berlin Station β , and the slasher series Scream Her film roles include Animal , Pimp , Hustlers , Nope , and One of Them Days , with the last two earning her critical attention.
Outside of acting and music, she hosted the talk shows Just Keke and Strahan, Sara and Keke β , as well as the game show Password since Her father, who is a Catholic deacon , works for a polyurethane company, and her mother is a high school teacher who works with autistic children.
In , she auditioned for a stage production of The Lion King at age nine. In , Palmer gained her first film role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business. In , she signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. That same year, she was featured in the television film Knights of the South Bronx , as well as starring in the television series Second Time Around and ER.
The pilot was not picked up, and never aired. In , Palmer had her acting breakthrough starring in the film Akeelah and the Bee , playing the titular Akeelah, a bright year-old who comes from a poor neighborhood and competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Palmer released her debut album So Uncool on September 18, Palmer also wrote and performed the theme song for the series. Palmer debuted as the voice of Aisha in Nickelodeon's revival of Winx Club.
She produced and starred in Rags , a television musical film, as well as voiced Peaches in Ice Age: Continental Drift. The video for the single was released on July 11, In doing so, she became one of the youngest talk show hosts in television history; the show itself has been regarded as "groundbreaking" and "refreshing".
