Is there a better person to cast as a Black teen activist in a Disney show than a Black former-teen Disney star and current activist? The answer is 'no.'Keke's GMA fam also celebrated the news by announcing their former colleague’s new role with Disney+ and directing fans to the online Proud Family cast reunion (!!!) that Palmer is set to moderate today.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ DREAMS COME TRUE! https://t.co/vgwmibrurS
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) August 6, 2020
In the February 2020 announcement for the new series, Disney shared that the original cast would all be back for the Louder and Prouder reboot. That means Kayla Pratt will return as Penny Proud along with Tommy Davidson as Proud Patriarch/Proud Snacks founder Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as mom Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as maternal grandmother Suga Mama and Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby.[video_embed id='1774069']RELATED: Keke Palmer reveals why 'Hustlers' is going to be 'dope' [/video_embed]And The Proud Family casting is only the half of it! Palmer announced just hours after her Disney news that she'll be hosting the 2020 MTV VMAs on August 30. "I heard y’all was tired of 2020, let’s go back to 2008," she captioned her announcement video where she calls up an old friend... True Jackson, V.P. Or should we say, True Jackson, CEO! Be still, our early '10s hearts.K-E-K-E-P-A-L-M-E-R-V-M-As. *air kiss*We are SO EXCITED to see our girl @KekePalmer in the new "The Proud Family" on @disneyplus! ❤️ https://t.co/i9rZzYvW4s pic.twitter.com/ZgPNWi4Gsl
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 6, 2020
Is there better news than Keke Palmer reprising her role as True Jackson on the same day she reveals she's going to be in The Proud Family reboot? Probably not.Her Proud Family role will be Palmer’s second time working with Disney. In 2007, she starred in the Disney Channel Original Film Jump In! alongside High School Musical star Cobin Bleu. Palmer’s casting comes after a number of white actors, including Jenny Slate, Kristen Bell, and Mike Henry, stepped down from their positions on shows in which they voiced Black or POC characters. The Simpsons has also promised to stop using white actors to voice non-white characters.Palmer was one of several Black actors and activists at the centre of recent Black Lives Matter protests where she notably called on members of the National Guard to march with protestors during one demonstration in California. The video of Palmer passionately confronting men in full military gear went viral. It looks like her new role as an outspoken teenage activist will suit her perfectly.[video_embed id='2007723']BEFORE YOU GO: Unpacking Beyoncé's 'BLACK IS KING' visual album [/video_embed]