Keke Palmer Just Gave Working Moms Permission to Do the Unthinkable

Keke Palmer has built a career on saying exactly what she means, and in her latest conversation at the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, she didn’t sugarcoat the reality of parenting right now. Her advice to working moms? “Don’t feel guilt.”

“Your child is your child because you were meant to be their parent. And as a working parent, it could be really, really hard because you’re wondering like, ‘Damn, is this good for me and my child?’ But the reality is, if you got to work, you got to work. Just don’t feel guilt where it pertains to receiving help with your child, because it takes a village,” she told Parents.

It’s a mantra that feels radical only because we live in a country where the cost of raising a child is spiraling and the support systems barely exist. In every state, child care now costs more than rent. Parents are paying $25,000, $40,000, even $80,000 a year for care — sometimes more than 20% of their income. And yet, when moms take the jobs they need to survive, they’re hit with judgment for “letting someone else raise their kids.”

Palmer, who shares 2-year-old Leo with ex Darius Jackson, knows the value of the help she’s talking about. She says her son has already taught her boundaries — telling her things like, “You could give me a kiss, but I don’t want [your] kiss to go on the mouth,” or “Not right now.” “It’s made me be like, I need to be more like that,” she said. “Back in the day when we were kids, our parents didn’t let us. They would be like, ‘Girl, you’re going to do what I said.’”

That shift is part of what she calls “reparenting” herself — a process she wrote about in her 2024 memoir, Master of Me. “I’m still growing, I’m still changing. But in this era, it’s been about honoring the person that I’ve been… and also honoring the person that has created that, the person that we all have that drives who we are when we show up.”

Showing up, for Palmer, means juggling a packed career that now includes her role as Chief Brand Officer for Creme of Nature. But it’s Leo who makes her keep her priorities straight. “[Leo made me] realize what is the most important thing… when you have a child that needs you, it’s easier for you to prioritize what is best for your sense of self.”

For Palmer, rejecting mom guilt isn’t a warm-and-fuzzy affirmation — it’s a practical survival tool in an economy where the math doesn’t add up. Parents are already working more hours for less stability, paying more for child care than their own education cost, and covering the gap with sheer burnout. Her point is simple: the village is not a luxury. It’s the only thing keeping parents afloat — and no one should feel ashamed for needing it.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who have opened up about the struggles of co-parenting.