Keke Palmer Responds to Zendaya Comparisons and Colorism Comments

TMZ.com

Keke Palmer gets the side-by-side treatment with Zendaya on Twitter after starring in new Jordan Peele movie - sparking conversation about colorism in Hollywood.

Here's the deal... Keke caused a stir this weekend in 'No' against Daniel Kaluuya, with some saying it's his moment of breakout from the mainstream. Yes, she's worked in TONS of movies/shows for years - but before that she wasn't really a household name, usually... JP's movie put her on the map like she didn't. never been before. p>

This is where Zendaya comes into the chat (metaphorically)...someone on the Bird app said Keke deserves the same hype and adulation that Zendaya generally enjoys these days. And from there... people started wondering why one could be ridden earlier than the other.

Before writing this as opposing two women of color, let's just examine the subject matter and substance of the argument...because, frankly, it's interesting.

Someone floated the theory that colorism was the reason Zendaya has had more mainstream success than Keke has at this point in his career - even though they have about the same age, both have Disney pasts...and despite one having way more acting credits than the other (Keke > Zen), Zendaya is the name/face we know the most in 2022 .

Of course, there's a backlash to this being discussed at all...with Zendaya fans coming to her defense in what they say is a personal attack on their idol, but others say they completely miss the point -- and it's not about Zendaya per se.

You can jump into the "Keke" or "Zendaya" trends and see for yourself how this discussion takes shape - but long story short, there seems to be a good majority who feel like Zendaya, through no fault of her. own hand, benefited greatly from his Métis heritage.