IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
Disappointment Is the Key to Career Success with Keke Palmer
26 Mar 2025
Acclaimed actress Keke Palmer joins Michelle and Craig to answer a listener who asks why she feels so bad after a big career win. Keke reflects on how her planned breakout as a young actress went awry, and the ways that feelings of failure contributed to her career. Michelle, Craig, and Keke talk about how their perspective on meaningful work has changed over the years—and the advice that Michelle’s girls are finally starting to listen to. Have a question you want answered? Write to us at imopod.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Full Episode
So I remember when I did A Kill and the Bee, everybody kept saying, this movie is going to be a hit. This movie is going to bust it out. You're going to be a star. And it's such an elusive thing because what's a star?
You know what I mean? And how old were you then? I was 11. And they were like, this is huge.
And I'm like, wow, this is huge.
Really, whatever that is.
I guess I'll be Michael Jackson now. You know, it was like huge. And then the movie came in and did so terrible in the box office. Mm-hmm.
Although that was one of my favorite movies.
And then the funny thing about it is, like, over time, it grew to be my most popular film. And the thing that people most know me for, but I use that as an example in this, is because our life is made up of many moments. It's not made, like, our legacy is not just that one thing we did. It's the many, you know, it's the many things that we did.
And so, like, A Killing to Be was always there for people to come to and remember my work. And it grew over time amongst all the things I did.
Mm-hmm.
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