Keke Palmer Told Wendy Williams She Should ‘Be a Little More Compassionate’ After Trey Songz Comments

Keke Palmer is well-known for being outspoken. The former child star has been in the spotlight for years, and fans have long been witness to headlines and stories about her personal life – including her case against rapper Trey Songz. Palmer called out Songz in 2017 for sexually intimidating her, and in no time flat, the story became a pop culture hot topic. Even talk show host Wendy Williams discussed the incident on her show, talking about the case in a way that prompted Palmer to tell Williams directly that she disagreed with how the host presented the story.

Wendy Williams insinuated that Keke Palmer was ‘crazy’ for the Trey Songz incident

It all started in January 2017, when Keke Palmer took to social media to accuse Songz of sexual intimidation. The actor claimed that Songz had put her in his music video “Pick Up the Phone” without her permission. Palmer related how she had been at a party hosted by Songz when he asked her to be in the video. Refusing, Palmer said that she kept feeling pressured by Songz until she eventually hid in a closet until a Uber arrived to take her away. Still, Palmer claimed that Songz secretly filmed her and used that footage for the video.

Songz vehemently denied that he had filmed Palmer without her permission – and the story went viral. Wendy Williams talked about the alleged incident on her talk show, but Williams defended Songz by claiming that Palmer must have known that the party footage was being filmed for the “Pick Up the Phone” music video. According to Seventeen, Williams said that Palmer was “crazy” for hiding in a closet when she could have just left the party.

Palmer confronted Williams on her own show

Just weeks after Wendy Williams discussed the Songz incident on her show, Keke Palmer stopped by Williams’ talk show to promote her new book. She brought up the incident with Williams, putting her on blast for how she defended Songz. As reported by BuzzFeed, Palmer told Williams, “I will say, Wendy, I would have loved to turn on your show and see you be a little bit more compassionate and a little less accusatory.”

After a bit more awkward conversation, Palmer reminded Williams that it matters how hosts and other high-profile figures speak about such issues. “The thing is, we’re here telling girls it’s OK for them to be in weird and awkward and potentially sexually harassing environment, and they should endure it and not say nothing about it,” Palmer said, noting that people should start saying no “when things don’t feel right.”

Wendy Williams is one of television’s most outspoken talk show hosts

Ultimately, it doesn’t seem as though Keke Palmer changed Wendy Williams’ mind. After all, Williams, who stepped away from her talk show in 2021 after several years of battling health issues, has long been known as one of the most outspoken talk show hosts of all time. She gained a reputation on the radio for “telling it like it is” and famously didn’t mind getting into feuds with celebrities after sharing those opinions.

Over the years, Williams got into heated feuds with celebrities like Mariah Carey, Blac Chyna, Whitney Houston, and Chris Brown. Still, it’s rare that those celebrities who disagreed with Williams actually had the chance to confront the talk show host in person, as Palmer did in 2017. These days, with Williams reportedly planning a new podcast, the host could be gearing up for even more hot gossip.