Keke Palmer Says She Turned Into A ‘Mumbling Idiot’ When She Met Barack Obama

Keke Palmer met Barack Obamaat an event hosted by the former president’s production company, Higher Ground.

During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Palmer explained how she was starstruck by the encounter, joking that she essentially turned into a “mumbling idiot.”

The actress also spoke about meeting Michelle Obama at the same event.

Palmer revealed that the Obamas were complimentary towards her and expressed admiration for her work.

Despite the praise, her main memory from the interaction is how badly she felt she lost her cool in the moment.

Palmer spoke about her encounter with the Obama family after Fallon showed a photo of the actress alongside the retired president during her appearance on “The Tonight Show.”

Also pictured were Palmer’s younger sister and her best friend, Nora Addison.

The “Scream” star went on to explain how she lost all composure when she found herself speaking with Obama and his wife, Michelle.

“When I just tell you guys that I turned into a mumbling idiot,” Palmer recalled.

She then performed a reenactment of what she believed she must have sounded like during the interaction, before adding, “I just knew I sounded crazy!”

Although she felt she had embarrassed herself in front of Barack and Michelle Obama, Palmer at least confirmed that the former first couple had nothing but praise for her work.

The actress told Fallon during her “Tonight Show” cameo that it was the ex-president himself who spoke about his family’s admiration for her.

“He said, ‘My family's a fan. My wife's a fan. My children's a fan. I'm a fan,’” Palmer recalled of the conversation. “'You keep on doing everything that you're doing, girl.’"

Another topic Palmer addressed during her appearance on Fallon’s late-night show was her new role as a mentor on “American Idol” for the show’s Top 20 stars.

During the Hawaii stage of the 2026 season, “American Idol” is introducing a brand-new twist called the “Ohana Round,” as reported by Parade.

In this phase of the competition, the top 20 contestants travel to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, where they will perform across three episodes.

Palmer was officially introduced as a mentor for the contenders in late January, joining country music star Brad Paisley to help guide the singers ahead of America’s Vote.

Palmer also took the opportunity of her feature on “The Tonight Show” to discuss “The ‘Burbs,” her upcoming mystery-comedy series set to stream on Peacock.

The show is adapted from the similarly-titled 1989 film by Joe Dante and Dana Olsen, starring Tom Hanks.

On “The Tonight Show,” Palmer reflected on the opportunity to honor the original film while also creating something new and unique for audiences.

“I mean, the cult classic, Tom Hanks. It don't get no better than that,” Palmer said. “So, we're just taking elements of that. A couple of Easter eggs in there for the old-school, OG 1989 film fans. But also, we've made it our own.”

Palmer’s cameo on “The Tonight Show” followed an earlier appearance on NBC’s “TODAY,” where she expressed a desire to always live alone, regardless of whether she is in a relationship or not.

The former Nickelodeon star told Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones that she was following in the footsteps of Whoopi Goldberg, who has always preferred to live on her own.

“One thing I need you to know is I never want to live together. I like my alone time,” Palmer said, before adding that even marriage wouldn’t change that. “I feel like Whoopi Goldberg said it best once. She was like, 'I don't want nobody in my house.' And I feel that. I'm serious — married, even.”