Keke Palmer Criticized Over Comments About EBT Cards and Healthy Food

In a tweet, Palmer asked her followers to "imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items." This was not received well for a multitude of reasons.

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Keke Palmer is being widely and passionately criticized for sharing a fairly Republican-sounding take on EBT cards.

Early Monday morning, Palmer decided now was the time to seemingly ignore the existence of food deserts.

"Imagine if your EBT card could only work on healthy items," Palmer said in the tweet receiving the most attention.

Imagine if "healthy items" were more affordable and accessible to everyone in America https://t.co/Eg1wFc3WoD

— abby (@abby4thepeople) November 9, 2020

Prior to sharing this take, Palmer had been replying to fans amid a discussion on the pumped-up cost of healthier foods. The eventual "imagine if" tweet, however, has been panned for appearing to miss multiple points including the difficulty of eating healthy in food-sparse regions, the unavailability of healthier alternatives in many of those same regions, and the aforementioned (and often massive) cost difference.

I mean, you know that the choices you have when using EBT are restricted, right? For example, you can't purchase cooked/warm foods. Being working poor or unemployed is already exhausting and now the government is telling me I can't buy a hot meal for dinner? https://t.co/kVVaQjItmQ

— Buttigieg Buttijury Butticutioner (@ValarMorDollars) November 9, 2020

Celebrities are useless. https://t.co/QJUYk4ROhX

— The LeBron James of Pig Feet. (@GeeDee215) November 9, 2020

republican ass take. imagine if health food was available everywhere EBT cards are and as affordable as junk food. https://t.co/mzrP0OsjlH

— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) November 9, 2020

Have you ever heard of a food desert? Places where access to nutritious food is lower, usually in areas where many fall below the poverty line. Could force them into food insecurity and hunger.

— the name is Jaz (@DamnJazAgain) November 9, 2020

Imagine if a tiny portion of the enormous excess wealth in our country flowed to people who needed food to live and we didn’t worry about what they were choosing to do with their modest allocation or whether they for some reason didn’t deserve to eat. 👀 👀👀👀👀 https://t.co/oeI7if2qo4

— Jesse Thorn 🤷‍♂️ (he/him) (@JesseThorn) November 9, 2020

We're in a pandemic. Imagine if all local celebrities #onhere can partner with other local celebrities to create and support mutual aid efforts that can feed poor people.
Imagine if they started free food programs. Imagine if they pressured government officials to address hunger. https://t.co/QOndrefI1v

— Charles Preston (@_CharlesPreston) November 9, 2020

I wish rich people would stay out of poor people's business. https://t.co/gePZZgZvYC

— Chris J. Suggs (@chrisjsuggs) November 9, 2020

You really woke up and was like "why do poor ppl need doritos?" https://t.co/6rKEfJ0iuH

— conduit 🧜🏽‍♂️🏔🧙🏽‍♀️ (@no__ugh) November 9, 2020

THE GAG IS YOU ARE IGNORING DISABLED PEOPLE TRYING TO EXPLAIN HOW HARMFUL YOUR TWEETS HAVE BEEN. you are willfully repeatedly doubling down on this. Without even considering anything we have been saying.

farmers markets aren’t accessible. Fresh packaged produce is expensive.

— Hello, this is Turbo (@TURBOGnomestick) November 9, 2020

Later, Palmer tagged Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in a tweet stating that "EBT cards should swipe free on all items considered healthy."

The Hustlers star continued to engage with fans, saying she was calling for healthy foods to not count against an EBT balance, though many have argued that other tweets have actually seen her doubling down on the widely criticized "imagine if" proposal:

Over on Instagram, Palmer shared a screenshot of the tweet in question alongside a lengthier statement beginning with "I'm just here for the comments." In the statement, Palmer noted that she's been "eating extremely healthy" as of late and has been "sad" about the hit her "debit card balance" has taken as a result.

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