Keke Palmer says playing new mom in ‘The ‘Burbs’ ‘was kind of cathartic’

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Keke Palmer attends Premiere Event Of Peacock’s “The ‘Burbs” at Universal Studios Backlot on February 05, 2026, in Universal City, California. (Photo by Olivia Wong/Getty Images)

Keke Palmer stars as a new mother on Peacock’s The ‘Burbs, a new take on the 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name. The new series follows Palmer’s Samira and Rob, played by Jack Whitehall, after relocating to Rob’s childhood home, where they uncover dark secrets about the house across the street and the neighborhood.

The series filmed after Keke gave birth to her son, Leodis Jackson, and she tells E! News playing Samira helped her see her own journey from an outside perspective.

“It was just really awesome having some space between my reality and the characters,” Keke says. “Because it actually was kind of cathartic to see it from the outside looking in of like, it is really hard to reconnect with yourself after having a baby and reconnect with your partner. And I think it’s something we talk about, but we don’t talk about it enough, because it really is a thing.”

Keke notes she and Jack, who became a father in 2023, recognized their own experiences in their characters’ storylines.

“[W]e’ve been there. Where you’re nervous trying to figure out, ‘Am I being a good parent? Is this my role? And does my partner, do we have love? Did we move too fast?’” she says. “There’s all this confusion that I think a lot of new parents will relate to. And even people have been a parent for years. They’ll be like, ‘I remember that.’”

Keke also praises how the show generally addresses serious issues while “leaning in in a way that makes it fun for the audience.”

“I think that’s something that also excited me because there are a lot of stuff we’re covering in the show,” she says.

The ‘Burbs is now streaming on Peacock.