When it comes to Keke Palmer, she has been versatile in her acting roles, singing career, and television hosting. However, her newest show, Southern Fried Rice, led many to believe that Keke is tone-deaf or even ignorant of the concept of cultural misrepresentation when executing the concept of a Korean-American girl who was raised by Southern Black parents going to a Historically Black College or University.
When it comes to the name of the show, Southern Fried Rice, it hits the nail on the head about how the show will go about the main character, Koko Johnson, and her heritage— poorly executed. “For starters, the name ‘Southern Fried Rice’ is deeply offensive to both the Black and Asian communities. Although the title aims to build on our understanding of each culture to further embrace the combination represented within Koko, it feels more like mockery than appreciation,” said Amirah Riddick, a junior with a Journalism and Psychology major at Oswego State University. The show, although having the potential to be nuanced and bring up conversations about mixed race, is viewed more as an afterthought in relation to exploring culture.
Consequently, Koko states that, “black culture is the only culture she knows,” while having a forced blaccent, having permed hair, wearing golden chains, and wearing a bonnet. If the writers deliberate it to be the only culture she knows, why not delve deeper into how it affects her personal image, focusing on exploring other facets of her cultural identity, while having the perspective of other characters in their own exploration? Unfortunately, this is never fully expanded in the show, as she is continuously portrayed with no intentions or depth to her character. “It just loses a lot of its cultural context and meaning behind this when you put this girl in, essentially, this costume or getup that she’s wearing or like portraying…without really having intention behind it,” said Mia, from YAP Section on YouTube. A bonnet is not just a bonnet; it is used to keep the shape of curly to coily hair. Chains are seen as a symbol of status, wealth, and overall perception. To have it on her without intention behind it, without wanting to encapsulate it in her identity, is simply tone-deaf.
Additionally, while providing representation of non-Black HBCU students, it lands flat when it comes to how it is presented. “For many in the HBCU community, representation goes beyond casting—it’s about storytelling integrity… The Southern Fried Rice controversy reignites that legacy of scrutiny and pride,” stated by HBCU Editors, Southern Fried Rice Sparks Debate Over HBCU Representation. Two differing views on Koko Jackson as a student in the show relate to her as the main portrayal of students who applied to a HBCU without being black are that it brings conversation about ethics and the experiences they faced while at university, while dimming authenticity, and deviating from voices of experience. “If you’re going to create a story about life at an HBCU and center a non-Black transracial adoptee, the least you could do is have someone who’s actually lived that experience pen the story,” said Jihan Forbes on Allure, The Beauty Backlash Toward Keke Palmer’s Southern Fried Rice Is Totally Justified.
Therefore, while being produced since the 2010s, it should have been explored and written more as a subject of discussion in relation to mixed race, and the show is being conveyed more as “ragebait” than actual material of nuance.
