Inside Jennifer Lopez and Keke Palmer’s Friendship
Public perception of Jennifer Lopez and how she is to work with hasn’t always been great. She has a longstanding history as a “diva,” with backstage stories often painting her in a negative light. Despite that, she’s pushed back against the allegations, and it looks like she has Keke Palmer in her corner. Palmer and Lopez have worked together several times over the years, and Palmer has now addressed their friendship, calling Lopez a “real mentor.”
The Comments
Keke Palmer recently sat down for a chat with Amy Poehler on her podcast, Good Hang. During the chat, the pair got to talking about co-stars and Palmer’s connection to Jennifer Lopez. Palmer gushed about the famed singer, telling Poehler that Lopez has held a real place in her life since their 2019 film, Hustlers.
She said she loved Lopez from the moment she saw her in Selena, and their real-life friendship has played out better than she could have imagined. Palmer said Lopez has offered her real support and advice through personal struggles over the years, explaining that Lopez will unexpectedly reach out and tell her to call if she needs anything. When Palmer takes her up on it, she says Lopez gives her honest, grounded guidance rather than surface-level comfort. She went on to call her a “real mentor.”
The Roots of the Friendship
Keke Palmer was a fan of Lopez years before she ever met her, but their bond grew on the set of Hustlers, a 2019 movie based on a 2015 New York magazine article called “The Hustlers at Scores,” written by journalist Jessica Pressler. The article told the true story of a crew of New York City strippers who began drugging and scamming Wall Street traders and CEOs who visited their club, running up huge charges on their credit cards.
Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart and Keke Palmer starred in the film, with Lizzo and Cardi B also appearing. Lopez played Ramona, a veteran stripper. Palmer took on the role of Mercedes, another stripper who gets pulled into the scheme. Palmer has said she was surprised by how far Lopez went out of her way on the movie’s set. Lopez also shared a backstage look at making the movie on her YouTube channel, with the footage echoing Palmer’s thoughts on the iconic artist.
Palmer and Lopez worked together again in 2024, when Lopez offered her a cameo in This Is Me… Now. While Palmer only appeared briefly, it marks another collaborative project for the stars. Palmer did not reveal whether there’s more professional work ahead for her and Lopez, but it’s clear their friendship is very much intact, regardless of where they stand professionally.
