Keke Palmer anticipated drama when she approached Nicki Minaj at this year’s Met Gala but was instead met with a moment of unexpected wisdom from the Hip-Hop star.
The 31-year-old actress and singer, currently on a book tour for her memoir Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative, shared the story during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Palmer explained she was at the star-studded event rubbing shoulders with designers Marc Jacobs and Charlie Jacobs when she spotted Nicki Minaj in conversation.
Having connected with Minaj previously through direct messages, Palmer wanted to thank the rap icon personally for her help with a significant moment in her personal life.
“I know Nicki because on DM (direct message) she connected me to (photographer) David LaChapelle for my baby shower photos. So I wanted to tell her in person, thank you,” Keke Palmer explained, emphasizing her gratitude.
However, as she approached, Nicki Minaj caught sight of her, leading the former Disney star to expect a confrontation.
“She said, ‘You, I need to talk to you. Hold on,’” Palmer recalled, imitating the rapper’s distinct accent.
Palmer admitted that her mind instantly jumped to worst-case scenarios.
She recalled thinking, “I done did something! Nicki about to cuss me out at the Met Gala,” Keke continued.
Instead, Nicki Minaj surprised Palmer with a thoughtful piece of advice.
In her best impression of the rapper, Palmer relayed Minaj’s message:
“Look, I don’t read the press. I don’t know everything that’s goin’ on,” Palmer said in her Nicki voice. “But I just wanna tell you, nobody knows what it’s like when we turn off the lights and we gotta be with ourselves. So you do whatever you need to do to be good witchu.”
Visibly taken aback by the unexpected kindness, Keke Palmer told Fallon she was grateful for Minaj’s words: “I was not expecting that,” she said with a smile.