Keke Palmer teases 'Saturday Night Live' hosting gig: 'I definitely have ideas'

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Keke Palmer is ending a year full of highlights by checking off a major bucket-list item: Hosting Saturday Night Live!

The multihyphenate star had yet another breakout role this year, starring in Jordan Peele’s Nope, which she followed by launching her own digital network, KeyTV Network, aimed at spotlighting the next generation of creators through multiplatform content. Next, she launched her first podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, and then landed on the cover of the Hollywood Reporter. The list goes on.

For the latest episode of In The Know’s pop culture interview series, Keke Palmer opened up about her major year, how she’s prepping for her big SNL gig, her partnership with Doritos, how music fits into her future career plans and much more.

Listen to Keke Palmer’s full episode of We Should Talk below:

On hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend:

I’ve been doing sketches on my Instagram page for the longest time. It’s such a huge part of the evolution of my career — all my sketches. So, I definitely have ideas and things that I’ve been ruminating on, just because I want to be prepared. I’m obviously an overachiever in that regard — I’m a Virgo, and it’s just who I am. But I’m also excited to see what they have for me, as well. Let’s be real: SNL has some incredible writers, and Lorne Michaels and they have their team and their POV of what they want. I’m interested in seeing what they’re thinking about for me. It’ll just be exciting to see how we come together and create something fun! Ultimately, what I want to do is have fun.

On the massive year she’s had in 2022:

I’ve had so many moments in my career where I was like, “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this is happening, from Akeelah and the Bee to True Jackson, VP. I never knew I’d have my own show — or be a VP for that matter! [Laughs.] And then the same thing with this year and evolving from being a child entertainer to being an adult in this industry and continuing to be able to surprise myself with new moments and experiences. It’s such a blessing. It’s exciting! Once you’ve been doing something for as along as I’ve been doing it, you always get a worry that, “Man, will I ever get bored of it or tired of it, or will my love of it die out?” That hasn’t happened, and for that I’m grateful.

On her ‘Big Dip Energy’ partnership with Doritos:

It’s all about “Big Dip Energy”! I’m very excited to partner with Doritos, obviously, because we all grew up on Doritos. I don’t know who doesn’t love them for their amazing flavors. Specifically, I’m launching their Doritos Dips with them. Starting this month, Doritos is taking dipping to another level, and it’s guaranteed to forever change the ways that fans eat.

On the expectations people have of her when they see her in public:

I definitely feel like I have felt that pressure [to perform as Keke Palmer], where people do expect me to be what they see on TV — whether it’s the way that I’m dressed, or the way that I’m acting, or how high energy I’m giving that moment in time. But I think I’ve resisted that urge as I’ve gotten older, to feed into that. I just can’t give everybody everything they want all the time. From what I’m doing in general from what I’m talking about and with KeyTV, it’s me wanting to establish the understanding, with my audience and those that are interested in the entertainment business, that it’s a business. This is an entertainment career, and part of that is your performance of being an entertainer, and I want to make that a little more of a normalized thing, so that we don’t always continuously expect actors and performers to always be performing. That’s the craft and the skill and something that you’re doing for work! Nobody wants to be on the clock when they’re off the clock.

Watch In The Know’s full interview with Keke Palmer below, and check out her partnership with Doritos here:

If you enjoyed this interview, check out In The Know‘s recent interview with Clea and Joanna of The Home Edit here!

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