Keke Palmer's spot-on impression of Angela Bassett has been making fans do a double-take for years. But there's one person who has never seen Palmer's famous impression for herself — and that's Angela Bassett.
That all changed when the two "Akeelah and the Bee" co-stars reunited for the first time in 16 years in a video for Vanity Fair, released in December 2022.
Palmer and Bassett greeted one another with big smiles before acknowledging that fans often tell the pair, who played mother and daughter in "Akeela and the Bee," look alike. "And I live for it. I'm so thankful because you're so gorgeous," said Palmer, 29.
That's when Bassett, 64, brought up Palmer's impression. "I've seen you, I've seen you online imitating me," she told Palmer, adding, "You do a great job."
Bassett then asked the "Nope" star to do the impression for her right then and there. "We're here together. You're finally here. I don't have to watch you online," she said.
"This is insane," Palmer said. A beat later, she agreed, explaining that she was going to imitate Bassett in the 1992 TV movie "The Jacksons: An American Dream," in which Bassett played Michael Jackson's mom, Katherine.
Palmer frequently impersonates a scene where Katherine catches her husband, Joe Jackson, cheating on her with another woman.
After contorting her smile into an anguished grimace, Palmer morphed into the Jackson matriarch exactly as Bassett depicted her onscreen.
"You're a lie and you're a cheat," she said, mouth quivering. As she continued onto the next line, Bassett gamely joined in. "I don't want you, I don't want you, I don't want you no more," both actors said in unison.
After the duo laughed together, Bassett dropped a bombshell. "And that line was improvised!" she said, leaving Palmer stunned.
Earlier this year, Palmer, who could potentially whip out her Bassett impression when she hosts "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, stopped by "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," where a caller to the show asked if Bassett ever comments on her impressions of her.
"It's so funny. I've been doing Angela Bassett impersonations since I was a kid and she has never said anything about it to me, ever," said Palmer.
The "Scream Queens" star also shared a tip for anyone who'd like to try to mimic Bassett. "The key to an Angela Bassett impersonation is all in the lips," she said, taking a dramatic breath of air. "She does very much with the lips. A lot of lip work going on."