On Jan. 7, Keke Palmer, host of the NBC television game show “Password,” won an Emmy award for being an “Outstanding Host for a Game Show,” making her the first woman to achieve the award in 15 years, per NBC.
The 30-year-old actress and singer received the award at the 75th Creative Arts Emmys ceremony, beating out fellow, established nominees such as Steve Harvey for “Family Feud” and Pat Sajak for “Wheel of Fortune,” as well as both Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik for “Jeopardy.”
The last woman to win the award goes all the way back to 2009, when, according to Deadline, Meredith Vieira won the award for hosting “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
Keke Palmer expresses her gratitude
“I’m really just so thankful,” Palmer says in her acceptance speech, as recorded by Deadline. “I’m almost speechless. I want to thank the people who allowed this to happen, thank you to Jimmy Fallon, thank to NBC.”
In her speech, she also thanked television legend Carol Burnett, who was in attendance and, on the same night, won an Emmy award for her variety special, “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” according to Us Weekly.
Fallon, host of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and executive producer of “Password,” had some positive comments to make about Palmer’s hosting abilities. “Sharp, charming and quick witted all while looking like a superstar. There’s no one like Keke Palmer,” Fallon said, per Deadline.
What is Keke Palmer most famous for?
According to Us Weekly, after her breakout role in the 2006 drama film “Akeelah and the Bee,” Palmer achieved the entertainment limelight, which led her to star in the Nickelodeon teen sitcom, “True Jackson, VP.”
In between both projects, she started to record music and make a name for herself, releasing several mixtapes and EPs — and even launched an independent label called “Big Bosses Entertainment” later in her career.
Her pursuits have only been getting better, as she hosted the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, per E! News, and was a host on “Saturday Night Live” in December 2022, per NBC.
Palmer has been open with her thoughts about hosting “Password.” She recently told the The Washington Post, “I’m really feeling personality-hosting and producing, because I’m really feeling me and myself more than portraying someone else.”