Keke Palmer Thanks Tyler Perry for Sliding Extra Money Early in Her Career

During the July 23 episode of her podcast “Baby, This is Keke Palmer,” the 30-year-old actress Keke Palmer expressed heartfelt gratitude to filmmaker Tyler Perry for his support during a difficult time in her early career.

Palmer, who began her acting career as a child, reminisced about her experience on the set of “Madea’s Family Reunion,” a pivotal moment in her journey. “I thank you so much for this,” she told Perry.

“Whatever the movie did, you gave me extra money on the backend, and that’s big. I really wanted to point that out because that’s not something that people are always doing, and that was very early on in my career. I was no big name or anything like that.

It was not necessarily something that was my birthright, but for that to happen in that movie and for it to have been such a success — that extra money, what it did for my family and how it allowed me to maintain my time in California, moving from Chicago.”

She added, “I mean, we had nothing, and for you to do that was just really amazing, so I just wanted to mention that ‘cause I never forgot that.”

“Madea’s Family Reunion,” released in 2006, was a box office hit, grossing approximately $30.25 million during its debut weekend, according to The Associated Press. Palmer played Nikki, a rebellious runaway under the care of Madea, portrayed by Perry. The film, which had a $6 million budget, went on to gross over $63 million, as reported by Box Office Mojo.

Today, Palmer has achieved success and financial stability. She has ventured into producing, launching her own digital television network, KeyTV. Much like Perry, she not only stars in but also produces content for her viewers.

In a full-circle moment, Palmer now supports and nurtures upcoming actors and singers in the industry, signing checks and providing opportunities just as Perry once did for her.