Keke Palmer Belted Like a '90s Diva Performing Her New Songs in a Bright Red Dress
The Password host performed two songs from her new album, Just Keke.
Baby, she's Keke Palmer, and she's a star.
She can act, she can write books, she can host a podcast, she can host Password (and win an Emmy!), and she can host SNL (while pregnant!). We all knew that Palmer could sing, and thanks to her debut Musical Guest performance on The Tonight Show, it's clear she can perform like a true '90s R&B diva. In her own words, she was giving "camp, showgirl, BROADWAY," and she's not stopping there. "But wait a minute," she wrote on Instagram. "Just Keke on broadway.. hmm let me get to manifesting!"
In a backstage video posted by the multitalented star, she shared her plans for the performance.
"I'm literally about to perform on The Tonight Show for the very first time ever," she says in the video. "There's so much excitement and love in the room... We're just going to go out there and give 'em what we got. Period. Give them that energy that they've come to see. Look at your girl. Versace! Period."
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Keke Palmer shed a gold trench coat to reveal her dress while performing new songs on The Tonight Show
Palmer hit the stage in a gold trench coat to perform "125 Degrees," and threw it off to reveal a slinky red number before going into "Off Script." The two songs have very different attitudes, but both allow Palmer to show off her theatrical side. Maybe a return to Broadway for an album adaptation isn't a bad idea!
Both "125 Degrees" and "Off Script" are from Palmer's new album, Just Keke, which came out June 20, 2025. Her very first album, So Uncool, was released in 2007, followed by Awaken in 2011, Keke Palmer in 2012, Waited to Exhale in 2016, Virgo Tendencies in 2020, and Big Boss in 2023.
While the June 19 performance was technically Palmer's musical debut on The Tonight Show, Palmer has joined her Password colleague Jimmy Fallon seven times since 2021. During one recent visit she told Fallon she already had "a show tune" for her son Leo, who was almost 2 at the time. She also shared a video that proved he was well on his way to learning the words: "Leo, that's my name. Leo, that's my name. Leo, I'm the guy you know."
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"Why it's a show tune, I don't know," she said. "I love a little musical theater."
Palmer made her Broadway debut back in 2014 as Ella in the musical Cinderella, but she definitely appears to be ready for a return.
Watch Palmer's performance above, and watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11:35 ET/PT on NBC and Peacock.
