Broadway's First Black Cinderella Keke Palmer Defends Halle Bailey's 'The Little Mermaid' Casting

Keke Palmer struts her stuff on the streets of New York City on Monday (July 8).

The 25-year-old singer and actress looked fierce in a champagne colored blazer and black boots.

Earlier that day, while co-hosting Strahan and Sara, Keke talked about Halle Bailey‘s casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

“What’s up y’all, it’s me, the black Cinderella. And I know you’re scared because Hollywood is making an effort to be more diverse in the people that they show on screen. But let me ask you this: why can’t a mermaid be black? Why is that too unrealistic for you? Because you do know she’s friends with a talking crab, and I know you’re not the sharpest people, but crabs can’t talk. In fact, the entire thing is fiction!” Keke said.

“And, since the beginning of the entertainment industry, the most roles for black women were that of the maid. So it’s about damn time we get to play the mermaid,” she added.

In case you didn’t know, Keke made history with her Broadway debut by becoming the first black woman to play Cinderella on Broadway in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella!