Keke Palmer (or Her Publicist) Really Read the Room

It goes without saying that Palmer ditching her Jonathan Majors interview was probably the right move, but really, it shouldn't have come to this in the first place.

By Audra Heinrichs | April 10, 2025 | 1:05pm

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Keke Palmer (or Her Publicist) Really Read the Room

As of last week, Jonathan Majors was slated to appear on Keke Palmer’s podcast to discuss accountability (what else?) as part of an aggressive PR campaign to rehabilitate his reputation. But, thanks to irony and I assume, an intelligent publicist, the episode, which was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, has officially been pulled. Now, how’s that for accountability?

On April 1, Apple Podcasts and Wondery, the producer of Palmer’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, announced that Majors, who, in December 2023, was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend in an incident from March of that year, would be her next guest. The episode’s title? “No Easy Answers: Accountability and Moving Forward With Jonathan Majors.” Pop Base then amplified the news on Twitter, and the tweet was swiftly met with a barrage of responses that went a little something like this: “say April Fools right now.” Many wondered why Palmer would provide yet another platform for Majors, given she endured domestic abuse from her son’s father, which was alleged in a custody dispute in November of 2023.

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“We’re living in a time where we want real accountability—especially for things men have gotten away with for far too long,” the description of Palmer’s deleted episode reportedly read. “At the same time, finding forgiveness feels harder than ever, and we’re still figuring out what true accountability even looks like.” Uh. Who exactly is we here? Because I have a very clear vision of what my accountability looks like for men found guilty of assault and harassment. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t include a podcast episode where one is allowed to be an active participant in that conversation. According to Vulture, Palmer even promoted the episode with a clip where she and Majors play “This or That.” Watch it for yourself, but it includes a fist bump and a lot of giggles.

Then, one week later, as masochists such as myself settled into what was sure to be a frustrating watch/listen, the episode disappeared from Palmer’s episode list and was replaced by an interview with Kash Doll—without any explanation from Palmer or Wondery. It goes without saying that this was probably the right move, but really, it shouldn’t have come to this in the first place. What could Majors possibly have offered that hasn’t already been platformed by The Hollywood Reporter and Sherri Shepherd? Better yet, why is he getting all of these opportunities at all?

Last month, Majors appeared on the cover of THR, and appallingly, the accompanying story included celebrity testimony of Majors’ supposed sound character. Matthew McConaughey and Whoopi Goldberg both spoke to the publication on his behalf, simultaneously decrying cancel culture and expressing their belief in him—despite the fact that he has been accused not only of strangling and breaking the fingers of his ex-girlfriend, but also of various forms of abuse by several other exes. That same week, Shepherd invited Majors to her talk show, where she wept over his latest film: “It really meant something to me watching that movie, when I watched you, Jonathan, you’re so beautiful in it.”

As much as I’d like to hope Palmer and co. thought better of publishing the episode all on their own, it’s probably safer to assume that the last-minute decision to ditch it was due more to the overwhelming backlash…