INTERVIEW: Keke Palmer & Boots Riley on Capitalism, Hollywood & I Love Boosters

In a bold, unapologetic conversation on The Breakfast Club, actor Keke Palmer and filmmaker Boots Riley unpack the radical politics of their new film, *I Love Boosters*, reframing illegal shoplifting not as criminality but as a survival tactic born from systemic capitalism. Riley argues that boosting—stealing to redistribute goods—exposes the moral bankruptcy of a system that profits from poverty while scapegoating the poor. He draws a direct line from historical race-based moral panics like the 'Negro crime wave' to today’s media-fueled fear of crime, showing how capitalism thrives on both exploitation and division. Palmer, reflecting on her own journey from child stardom to artist-activist, reveals how her identity as 'Kiki Palmer' is a performance crafted for survival, and how her faith and family became her anchor. Together, they champion a vision of resistance not through martyrdom, but through community, joy, and the everyday act of lifting each other up—proving that revolution can be fun, intimate, and deeply human.