Keke Palmer addressed rumors that her show "Strahan, Sara and Keke" was canceled because of her public support for the Black Lives Matter movement, calling such speculation "dangerous."
"I want to speak on this simply because I hate the narrative that if you speak your mind as a Black person that you will in some way be punished," Palmer wrote in an Instagram post Sunday, in reference to a meme that read: "Ain't it weird how Keke Palmer was seen protesting and preaching to the police about racism in our country then ABC decides to cancel her show."
"I have seen this going around and at first I ignored [it], but in this climate I realized this is a dangerous message to send to our generation and the generation coming up," Palmer added. "If anything, my speaking out showed the corporations I work with how important my voice is and anyone that has a POV."
The 26-year-old actress began appearing on the ABC daytime talk show "Strahan and Sara" in 2019, filling in for both co-hosts Michael Strahan and Sara Haines on various occasions before she joined the show as an official co-host last August.
ABC pulled the show off the air in March, replacing it with “Pandemic: What You Need to Know,” a daily coronavirus report hosted by Amy Robach. Though ABC has not announced whether "Strahan, Sara and Keke" has officially been canceled, Page Six reported earlier this month that the show will be permanently taken off air. Neither ABC nor Palmer, who was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host category in May, responded to NBC News' requests for comment.
Though the future of the "Strahan, Sara and Keke" is uncertain, Palmer confirmed that she would no longer appear on the show.
"This business is dynamic and instead of thinking of me as a 'series regular' see me as a brand that works with the corporation Disney/ABC News and this particular show I was on is no longer," Palmer wrote. "When I see such fear mongering comments I want to speak out so that no one ever feels or thinks that speaking out will cost them their job! I’m sure it can and has before, but let’s also recognize when it has not. That way more of us with our own minds speak out against any injustices we see."
Palmer has been a vocal advocate for racial justice and went viral earlier this year for urging National Guard members to walk alongside marchers at a Black Lives Matter protest.
"Trust me, walking in my truth has always made my blessings OVERFLOW and connect to those that are like minded and not with those that are not," Palmer wrote. "Do not believe this lie."
