American actress, singer, and television host Keke Palmer has opened up about her new priority in life—of dedicating herself completely to becoming the most "grounded" and "embodied" version of herself.
The 32-year-old actress was chatting with Whoopi Goldberg at a 2026 Tribeca Film Festival Storyteller event in New York City recently.
The discussion dove deep into Palmer’s complex relationship with fame and social media, her evolving connection with her post-childbirth body, and her ongoing journey toward a healthier lifestyle.
The “I Love Boosters” actress gave birth to son Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson in February 2023.
Palmer revealed that welcoming Leo inspired her to find new ways to reconnect with her body, ultimately leading her to embrace Pilates.
"After I had my son, I started to think about everything differently, and obviously I need to get back in touch with my body because [pregnancy is] such an out-of-body experience," Palmer told Goldberg.
Also read: Keke Palmer was ‘traumatised’ in teens by fame
She went on to add that Pilates trains her to "stay in" her body. "I started to realise being disembodied and kind of not being within myself has been something that I was unconsciously doing, and during the practice of Pilates, I started to understand being intentional about choosing to stay in my body."
Sharing her experience of motherhood, Palmer said, “There's no messing around… your child makes you present. I got to just make sure that I'm good today, and I got to make sure that I'm really showing up for me because somebody needs me. It's a really incredible gift.”
The actress confessed that loving her son has shown her exactly what she deserves in life. This newfound clarity, she said, fuels her approach to health. Rather than chasing clean eating trends or rigid gym routines, Palmer focuses on creating a sustainable balance that keeps her grounded.
“I was taking the same experience that I was having in that practice and I was able to do it in real time where I'm in a tough situation that I maybe usually would leave, I decided to stay present," she said. "I decided to actually pull through.”
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