The 'Burbs, Peacock's serialized adaptation of the 1989 dark comedy starring Tom Hanks, marks a new phase in Keke Palmer's evolution. As lawyer, wife and new mom Samira, she becomes suspicious of a creepy neighbor in her suburban idyll, her paranoia a metaphor for the prying eyes and sinister deeds lurking beneath the facade of picture-perfect communities.
Palmer is a mom herself — she unveiled her baby bump while hosting Saturday Night Live in December 2022; son Leodis was born the following February — and says motherhood helped her understand the mental vertigo Samira experiences as she juggles a new community and a new identity as a stay-at-home mom.
"There was a lot in the show that I related to," Palmer says. A self-described suburban girl born Lauren Palmer ("Keke" is courtesy of her older sister), she grew up in Robbins, Illinois, outside Chicago. Her family relocated to L.A. when she was 10 to support her career. "Trying to maintain your identity, especially one that [involves] working outside the house ... when that baby comes, you want to be with the baby, but you also feel like you're losing a part of yourself."
Not that Palmer can relate to not working. Ever since her big break (the 2004 film Barbershop 2: Back in Business), she's been ubiquitous, toggling between TV, film, Broadway, music, two books and, increasingly, digital media.
"When I came into the industry, it was traditional," she says. "Then it went digital, and now creators are seen as entrepreneurs. My identity is not solely attached to being an entertainer, even though I'm aware of how people view me. I'm very much about being the architect of my career."
The house that Keke Palmer built is a sprawling one, with many rooms. Shows like Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP (2008–11), Fox's Scream Queens (2015–16) and ABC's GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke (2019–20) have proven she's as at home with comedy and genre mashups as she is with the daytime talk format. She's voiced characters on Big Mouth and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder; she founded KeyTV Network, a digital platform that has produced 29 shows and counting since 2022; and her culture podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, has more than half a million subscribers. She won her first Emmy in 2021 (Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series) for Turnt Up with the Taylors, a web series that had her playing five characters. Her second (Outstanding Host for a Game Show) came via NBC's Password in 2023.
"I do love being a 'personality' — being myself and entertaining," she says. "Password is fun, because Jimmy [Fallon, the show's recurring celebrity player and EP] is a great person to work with, but I watch how he moves with respect to the business. If I’m going to be challenged in a project, it’s about doing something I haven’t done before — and if I have done it before, how can I make it new?”
Married couple Rob (Jack Whitehall) and Samira Fisher (Keke Palmer) in The 'Burbs. 
The ’Burbs finds Palmer leading a scripted series for the first time in a long time and serving as executive producer. Brian Grazer, also an EP, says, “People might not realize how disciplined and thoughtful she is. The humor people love online is real, but behind that is someone who takes her work seriously. She’s a natural leader.” Fellow EP Erica Huggins agrees, marveling at Palmer’s ability to stay focused while managing her empire: “We were able to see Keke flex a different muscle as a true produc-ing partner — both on set and behind the scenes. Keke’s ability to consistently give 100% to all of her professional work was inspiring.”
Both say Palmer was instrumental in helping finesse the eight-episode show’s tone, which blends comedy, drama and suspense. Judging by her list of credits and personal projects, if anybody can sew various projects together seamlessly … baby, it’s Keke Palmer.
“I just want to continue to evolve,” she says. “I want to create infrastructure built off the work I’ve done the last 20 years and create systems for the next generation. I take it day by day but reflect on what I want my brand to be, my legacy and how I can create things outside of that.”
This article originally appeared in emmy Magazine, issue #1, 2026, under the title "Keke's World."
