"Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items..."
Keke Palmer found herself in the middle of a Twitter firestorm on Monday after an early-morning tweet about food stamps went viral.
"Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items..." the actress tweeted with some side eye emojis — and the internet did not hold back. The tweet has since been deleted.
Within hours, "Keke" was one of the top trending topics, as the Twitterverse lambasted her for trying to police what low- and no-income people ate.
This ain’t it Keke.
— Jaclyn 🦋 (@J_Byrddd) November 9, 2020 @J_Byrddd
Healthy items aren’t always accesible or affordable. People on food stamps should be allowed to eat what ever they want. Who are you to police what someone else is doing with their benefits?
This comment was very out of touch. https://t.co/RCNbbD3Wgn
Keke is pretending like she wasn't going out in public shouting "MAYBE POOR PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE POOR IF THEY STOPPED ACTING LIKE THEY SO BROKE!"
— 🇦🇲🇳🇬🇱🇧🇨🇱 (@vvorkingclass) November 9, 2020 @vvorkingclass
whew, keke said no dessert for poor people. ONLY spinach
— 🅱️ichaelangelo (@endrwas) November 9, 2020 @endrwas
So many problems in this country & Keke Palmer is worried about how people use their EBT cards 🙄
— sam (@GlueGunPaste) November 9, 2020 @GlueGunPaste
Ooh Keke I gotta disagree here. Poor people are allowed to buy Doritos. We shouldn’t be policing the poor. If they have a craving for ice cream, or wanna stock up on TV dinners cause they have to work late, then they are allowed.
— Wolfe of Wall Street (@queend236) November 9, 2020 @queend236
Keke Palmer Shuts Down Memes Suggesting Her Activism Led to Her Show's Cancellation
View StoryWhile that one post is the one getting all the attention, earlier tweets in the "Scream Queens" star's Twitter feed provided a little more context to Palmer's larger point.
The 27-year-old had actually started the morning by complaining about the high cost of healthy food, accusing corporations of gouging consumers:
You never realize what healthy food is actually worth until you decide to eat extremely healthy and notice that everything is a million dollars .. !!!
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
I see corporations know the nutritious valuable off top. 🙄
She went on to engage with followers, discussing her health food regimen, when one fan lamented: "That's my main issue w/healthy food - it is largely inaccessible. If you don't have a piece of land to grow most of your own stuff, shit's close to impossible."
I feel the government need to settle the score period pooh. https://t.co/ImmKzgMO5b
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
"I feel the government need to settle the score period pooh," Keke replied, before firing off the "Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items" post.
While she called on the newly minted Vice-President and President's Elect to do something about it, she had no idea her EBT tweet was getting dragged across twitter, until one follower called her out:
I just asked her y’all but I forgot to thank @JoeBiden as well. Cool. We good now. https://t.co/E9CrUOxu87
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Damn! I thought it was a nice suggestion considering I know so many people consoling they can’t afford the healthy food with they EBT cards. My bad! Everybody don’t feel the same that’s okay lol https://t.co/zhL4CJjm1E
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
"You really need to chill. Because this is THE most ignorant stance and statement, due to privilege/assumption you're exercising in the statement alone..." the Twitter user wrote.
"Damn! I thought it was a nice suggestion considering I know so many people consoling they can't afford the healthy food with they EBT cards," she replied "My bad! Everybody don't feel the same that's okay lol."
It didn't get much better for her from there; she spent the next two hours attempting to dig herself out of the Twitter hole, as the attacks kept coming. Many brought up the high cost of healthy food, as well as the availability of it in "food deserts," areas where accessibility to affordable, healthy food is near impossible.
Yea but some people DO need EBT. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. My family has used it! They should make it better. https://t.co/QG8L0G3q43
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
No what I’m saying is all health foods free because they are healthy meaning the healthy items don’t count against it. https://t.co/67YkRwrWqH
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Right so it should all be considered free meaning LIMITLESS! When it comes to healthy items atleast. https://t.co/QB1AdLn4Pc
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Yea maybe you shouldn’t focus on thinking I’m “rich.” I think that creates a defensive nature.
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
I’m saying healthy food should be free to those that can’t afford them often. They shouldn’t have a limit they should be free if you make a certain amount. https://t.co/V2cRZMkvDW
Nah I don’t because I’m saying all these things should be switched and made easier for people within that income. They shouldn’t have to worry they should have health food stores in their neighborhoods and their EBT should afford them those foods for free as well. https://t.co/p6fo9Zmd7R
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Instead of perhaps admitting her initial tweet -- which, again, only suggested EBT cards should "only work on healthy items" and mentioned nothing about healthy food being free -- wasn't worded in best way, Keke doubled down and began accusing her critics of being against free healthy food for low- and no-income people:
Nah pooh I thought it was a good idea truly and so did many of my friends with EBT cards lololol everybody doesn’t always agree clearly. 🥴 https://t.co/MSjXN0sqaL
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Hahaha y’all wtf y’all don’t think free health foods should be the given if you have a EBT card like that’s good I feel haha https://t.co/d1WOn2Ucnr
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Apologize for thinking people should get free food... ? I’m confused with that one lol. How is it offense to suggest people deserve free food on EBT? Because that’s all I’m suggesting. https://t.co/aAoy1lwkBV
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
She risked treading into even deeper water when, after being told several times that she should not discuss problems that do not concern her unless she is bringing a solution, she pointed out that her tax dollars fund the program:
Yes but we all fund this thing with our taxes. And if it was for something like this I would be even more thrilled because I’d know it was going somewhere fr. https://t.co/74BVrMbhH6
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
... and then almost dragged the Kardashians into it...
Right yea it’s hard on here with context I learned years ago lol I. know ppl hate celebrities now a days but I’m just a person & I fought to get where I am. I don’t come from wealth I’m not a Kardashian & that’s no shade. But I wish ppl could understand the difference. https://t.co/6ali9ef0iB
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
As the hits kept coming on Twitter, she tried getting her followers to switch over to Instagram -- where she pleaded her initial case more clearly.
Keke: Healthy foo-
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
Everybody: pic.twitter.com/OliH6ttwSU
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
After one of her followers spelled out the confusion -- tweeting, "If this is the plan: EBT AND free healthy foods (yay). If the plan is EBT ONLY for healthy food it's a little.....poverty shaming. I'm gonna decide the first one is what you meant" -- Palmer confirmed the former is what she was trying to say.
"Hahaha yes! I don't wanna encourage nothing harmful to folks shit let's all decide," she replied. I'm into the discussion!"
Hahaha yes! I don’t wanna encourage nothing harmful to folks shit let’s all decide. I’m into the discussion! https://t.co/q1cNjZ6FOX
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 9, 2020 @KekePalmer
As of this publishing -- three hours after the offending tweet -- the back and forth is still going on. Pull up a chair and watch here!