Keke Palmer hits back at viral tweet that said she's not as successful as Zendaya because of colorism: 'I'm an incomparable talent'

• Keke Palmer criticized a viral tweet comparing her success to that of Zendaya.
• The tweet said that the careers of the two former child stars had been different due to colorism.

Keke Palmer has hit back at a fan that compared the "Nope" star's success to that of Zendaya's.

On Saturday, a fan of both stars tweeted a short thread about how she thought Palmer had not reached "mainstream popularity" like Zendaya because of colorism, a preference for lighter skin colors within the same race.

The fan pointed out that both actors were former child stars, with Palmer leading her own show on Nickelodeon, "True Jackson, VP," and Zendaya starring in two Disney Channel series.

"This may be one of the clearest examples of how colorism plays out in Hollywood," the fan wrote.

After the tweet went viral, Palmer responded by saying that it was "colorism" to compare her to anyone.

"A great example of colorism is to believe I can be compared to anyone," Palmer tweeted yesterday. "I'm the youngest talk show host ever. The first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon, & the youngest & first Black Cinderella on broadway. I'm an incomparable talent. Baby, THIS, is Keke Palmer."

—Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 24, 2022

In a later tweet, she continued: "I've been a leading lady since I was 11 years old. I have over 100+ credits, and currently starring in an original screenplay that's the number one film at the box office #NOPE. I've had a blessed career thus far, I couldn't ask for more but God continues to surprise me."

Zendaya has been outspoken about colorism in Hollywood and how she benefits from it. In 2018, the "Euphoria" star said at a Beautycon festival in New York that she tries to use her privilege "as a light-skinned black woman" to show different beauty in the African-American community.

"I am Hollywood's, I guess you could say, acceptable version of a black girl and that has to change," she said during a panel. "We're vastly too beautiful and too interesting for me to just be the only representation of that."

Palmer's latest movie, "Nope," directed by Jordan Peele, topped the US box office over the weekend with $44 million in ticket sales.

"Nope" is currently in theaters.