Keke Palmer is opening up about the woman who helped shape her, and it's not who most fans expect.
During an August 18 appearance on the "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" podcast, the "Password" host lit up while discussing Queen Latifah, her future coaching co-star on NBC's upcoming spinoff, "The Voice: Celebrity." Palmer credited Latifah with teaching her "what it means to be a CEO, to be a business woman in the game." She added, almost giddily, that Latifah also taught her "how to walk."
The two go back years, having first worked together on "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" in 2004, when Palmer played Latifah's niece. That bond carries into their next project: Palmer will host "The Voice: Celebrity" while Latifah returns as a coach alongside Joe Jonas and Riley Green when the spinoff premieres in 2027
Palmer, who won an Emmy for her hosting work on "Password," steps into the role after 15-season veteran Carson Daly moves behind the scenes as a producer for the celebrity edition. Before the new format arrives, Palmer will first appear on Season 30 of "The Voice," premiering September 21 on NBC, where Latifah joins the coaching panel for the first time.
For Palmer, mentorship and gratitude have always gone hand in hand with her faith. The Chicago-area native, raised in a Christian home where her father served as a deacon and her mother led the church choir, has spoken openly for years about staying "prayed up" and keeping God central to how she moves through her career. That grounding shows up in how she talks about the people who've poured into her - Latifah included.
With The Voice: Celebrity still a year out, fans can expect more moments like this one as the two stars' long friendship becomes part of the show's next chapter.
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