Keke Palmer Dished Everything on Her SNL Hosting Gig, Pete Davidson, & How She Channels BKE: ‘Big Keke Energy’

It’s a huge accomplishment when a celebrity hosts an episode of Saturday Night Live, with many esteemed stars ranging from Oscar nominees to Grammy-winning artists. Now, SNL is about to get multi-hyphenated superstar Keke Palmer to host their first episode in Dec this year, and it’s guaranteed to be a night to remember.

While promoting her partnership with Doritos ahead of her SNL appearance, Palmer sat down exclusively with SheKnows’ Reshma Gopaldas to talk all about how to channel BDE — Big Dip Energy. What is Big Dip Energy, you may ask? It’s basically “having a bold dip and knowing how to use it,” per their website.

When we asked her which three SNL cast members, former and current, have BDE, she had an instant answer — naming her longtime friend and collaborator Jimmy Fallon. “So, 100 percent Jimmy Fallon. I’ve worked with him a ton of times.” She also included former star Kenan Thompson, whom she revealed she’s a big fan of, along with former co-star Pete Davidson to that list.

Palmer added that she’s so excited to meet the writers, cast, and everyone in between as she goes on this new journey. “It’ll be exciting to see if we end up doing anything together, but honestly, I’m excited for everyone to meet everyone, work with everyone.”

Dec 3rd cannot come quickly enough!

But there’s something more powerful than Big Dip Energy, and it’s Big Keke Energy (BKE). The Primetime Emmy Award and five NAACP Image Award-winning actor is an incomparable force, to put it lightly. Since her acting debut in 2004, fans knew she was something special. Since then, she’s broken so many barriers: becoming the youngest talk show host ever, the first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon (forever a True Jackson VP fan), along with being the youngest and first Black Cinderella on Broadway and most recently, hosting her long-awaited podcast called Baby This Is Keke Palmer on Amazon Music.

Now, how and when does she channel BKE the most? It usually comes out when she’s on the job. “I’ve always needed it, especially when I’ve come into a new space. Whether it be like now with the podcast or stepping into Good Morning America, or when I first did my first talk show, my first day on the job when I did Nope, it was like, I gotta bring that big Keke energy. “

The Hustlers star added that she focuses on helping other people feel happy and confident as well, saying, “I gotta just make the vibe good. I gotta get everybody like comfortable. So we [to have to] just break the ice and be self-deprecating, but also open and engaged.” Watch the exclusive video interview above to get a giant dose of Big Keke Energy.