When Keke Palmer was at odds with her parents as a child star, unexpected advice came from Will Smith.
The actress, singer, and author of new memoir "Master of Me" considered minor emancipation while in conflict with her parents as a child star, which she discussed on a new episode of The Toast podcast.
In the U.S., parental authority typically ends when an individual turns 18, but emancipation can be granted to those between the ages of 14 and 17, depending on the state.
Around the one-hour mark of the episode, Palmer revealed that she was 17 years old when she considered "done" with her parents because she thought they "didn't understand." The actress, who was on Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP at the time, called her lawyer to request emancipation.
“I said, ‘Look here, my parents, they're done. I'm ready to be emancipated […] I'm done with them, they're gone, out of here,” the Emmy-winner said of the conversation with her attorney.
"And he was like, ‘Keke, there are other ways to deal,'" she continued. 'You don't have to do it this way, you know. Maybe your parents and you just need to do therapy. There are other things that can happen, you don't need to go this route.'"
Palmer added that the attorney "urged" her not to dismiss the fact that she was the first member of her family to have "financial overflow and freedom."
But the attorney also seemed to be close with Smith, who gave Palmer a call while he was supporting his youngest son, Jaden Smith, during filming of The Karate Kid. Palmer was on the set of True Jackson and didn't recognize Smith's Hong Kong number.
"I get a call from this really, really obscure number," Palmer said. "And I'm like, 'What? I’m scared. This is weird, I'm not answering this.' I go work I come back and I see there's a voicemail left from the same number."
Palmer hilariously mimicked the Oscar winner's voice while reenacting the voicemail.
"'Hey, Keke. It's Will. We're over here doing Karate Kid with Jaden, and I just want to let you know that I talked to Ken [her lawyer],'" Palmer recounted. "'He let me know everything you're going through, and I want you to know sometimes it's hard being the first, but you'll get through.'"
Palmer said that Smith concluded, "'Just keep staying focused, love on your family, and y'all gonna be good.'"
Palmer acknowledged that Smith's encouragement played a role in deciding not to move forward with emancipation. Palmer also brought up her parents on a new episode of Club Shay Shay and she tearfully reflected on being her family's breadwinner as a child.
“How I feel about it—what’s mine is theirs and what’s their's is mine,” she said around the 40-minute mark of the video below. "And I would give up and sacrifice 20 more years of my life working in this industry so I could provide and we could have the business we have today."
