When you think of Keke Palmer, there are many things that come to mind. There’s her famous “I don’t know who that is” meme from her iconic Vanity Fair interview. Her career-defining role in the 2006 film Akeelah And The Bee. Her epic hosting gig at the 2021 Met Gala. The list goes on.

And while Palmer’s credits across film, television and music go way beyond what many of her peers have achieved by the age of 28, it’s this year, in particular, that we’re seeing the star truly step into the spotlight and get the work, credit and praise she truly deserves – and I, for one, am here for it.

You just need to take a quick look at the star’s Instagram – where she frequently posts new projects and hilarious videos to boot – to get a glimpse into Palmer’s forthcoming projects, or at her IMDB page for a thoroughly impressive list of her achievements both in front of and behind the camera.

The Illinois native’s film, Alice – a revenge thriller that sees her star as an enslaved woman who escapes and finds out she’s been transported to the year 1973 – hit streaming platforms in May.

She joined the cast of Being Mortal alongside Bill Murray and Seth Rogan, adding to the long list of projects currently in the works that I’m particularly excited about.

From her starring role in Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated movie Nope, which will be released next month, to joining the cast of Disney’s LightYear and narrating HBO Max’s upcoming docu-series Not So Pretty, Palmer is continuing to take on roles that show her complete range and place her firmly in the spotlight.

The news of Palmer’s consistently booked diary is especially exciting for fans who’ve long appreciated the effort that Palmer puts into her career; she landed her first film role at the age of nine in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back In Business.

This served as a catalyst as Palmer and her family moved to Hollywood in the hope of furthering her career, where the young star encountered success with her role in Akeelah And The Bee, playing the lead character who makes her way to the National Spelling Bee.

Along the way, Palmer continued to make big moves early on, which saw her star continue to rise.

She recorded her debut album, SoUncool, at the age of 14, which saw the start of her music career, and two years later, she went on to star in the Nickelodeon series True Jackson, VP from 2008-to 2011.

As Palmer approached adulthood she picked up another of her many hats, landing her own talk show, Just Keke, at the age of 20, which according to USA Today, made her the youngest TV talk show host in history.

This would only be the beginning of Palmer’s presenting gigs: she became a co-host on the third hour of Good Morning America in 2019 while taking on a number of other hosting gigs including the MTV Video Music Awards in 2020 and the Met Gala carpet in 2021.

Alongside the music and presenting, Palmer’s acting career went from strength to strength as she starred in a number of TV shows and movies including Ryan Murphy’s Scream: The TV Series, the iconic Hustlers, Big Mouth and The Proud Family reboot.

The amount of work that Palmer puts into her work is to be admired. She is the very definition of someone who hustles and uses all her talent and resources to make sure she’s placed in all the spaces she wants to be in – and she does it all with style and humour that has made her an authentic and loveable star for so many for years.

Despite these achievements, her many talents and a much-loved personality, she has often been referred to as underrated when discussing other Black and mixed-race actors over the years – so the emergence of Palmer as a leading star to watch in 2022 and beyond is all the more exciting for those fans who’ve seen her put years of groundwork and can take heart from the praise and admiration for her work that is continuing to spread.

2022 is Palmer’s year – and I can’t think of anyone who is more deserving of it all.

Image: Getty