Baby, this isKeke Palmer’s birthdayparty.
The Emmy-winning actress celebrated her 33rd birthday surrounded by some of her closest friends from throughout the years, includingSean “Diddy” Combs’ sonsJustinCombsandChristianCombs, as well as fellow Disney Channel starsRoshonFegan,TrevorJacksonand more.
“I’ve known most of these people 4EVER,” Palmer posted toInstagramAug. 27, the day after her actual birthday of Aug. 26. “They still show up for me! So happy spending my birthday with people that believe we deserve to share in happiness with one another.”
“Life is too short not to be in community,” she continued. “I don’t need a reason to celebrate with my folks but a birthday will always remind you to show grace and gratitude for where you come from and where you’ve been, most importantly who you are today. Thankful to God! Another year.”
Alongside the sweet message, the podcaster shared several snapscelebrating at Lucky Strike Bowlingwith her friends. The first photo showed Keke smiling widely with her arms around Justin, 32, and Christian, 28, whosefatherDiddyis currently serving a four-year prisonsentence for prostitution-relatedcharges.
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Another pic showed her posing with a group of friends, including “Mutt” singer Leon Thomas, while in another she snapped a selfie withTV personalityScottEvans.
Palmer’s friendChelseaTavaresalso gave an inside look at Palmer’s birthday, posting a video of the two to her Aug. 27InstagramStory with the caption, “Happy Birthday @keke I love you so so so so much!!”
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Tavares shared another video with Palmer and a group of attendees, writing, “Friends since we were tweens.”
And for Palmer—who shares 3-year-old sonLeodiswith exDariusJackson—being surrounded by friends who understand her is incredibly important.
“At the core of it, in life—wherever you are—things are going to happen,” theNopeactress shared during a 2025 event at Chicago’s DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, perWTTW, “and it’s about who you have by your side that helps to get you through.”
She was eager to explore those types of friendships inher 2025 comedyOne of Them Days, which helped her realize just how special it is to have a community around her.
“A lotof times in life it’s so hard, and you want to just deal with everything on your own, or you feel like you have to deal with things on your own,” Palmer explained toBlavityat the time. “But honestly, you need community.”
“You need a friend or a couple of friends to help you get through the other side,” she added. “And no matter how difficult it may be, or how embarrassing it could be, two’s better than one.”
For a look at more surprising celebrity friendships, keep reading.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty ImagesJacob Elordi & Teyana TaylorThe actors became pals after they both secured a 2026 Oscars nomination. Since then, Teyana has affectionately referred to Jacob as her “awards-season bestie” and joked that they often find themselves going “mullet for mullet,” bonding over their similar hairstyle.
“We’re young, we’re blessed, we’re being celebrated—this is the time to be happy and to have fun with it,” the Best Supporting Actress nominee told Time in an interview published Feb. 2026, “especially in a space that some people take so serious, and some people are cold, some people are robotic.”
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for The Hollywood ReporterMindy Kaling & Reese WitherspoonThey have been friends for years and have worked together. The two starred together in A Wrinkle in Time, while Mindy also had a recurring role on The Morning Show. In addition, the latter is co-writing Legally Blonde 3. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for NetflixAyesha Curry & Lindsay LohanThe Food Network star and Mean Girls alum first became friends during a trip to Dubai years ago and have since grown closer. In fact, Ayesha and Stephen Curry were even named the godparents of Lindsay and husband Bader Shammas’ son Laui.Raymond Hall/GC ImagesAdam Sandler & Timothée ChalametThe two actors, who costarred in the 2014 film Men, Women & Children, reunited for an outdoor game of basketball in New York City in July 2023.Craig Barritt/Getty ImagesRussell Crowe & RZAThe actor has worked with the Wu-Tang Clan rapper on several movies, including The Man with the Iron Fists, American Gangster and The Next Three Days. But their bond goes much deeper than that. “As friends, we talk,” Crowe tells Fuse. “It is no effort for me to give a friend advice. Film has many gods and you have to understand, as a director, you will be required to please and appease them all.”Karwai Tang/WireImageMichelle Dockery & Pippa MiddletonBefore running into each other again at Wimbledon, the unlikely duo first crossed paths at the Downton Abbey set. “She actually came on-set with her brother, James, a few years ago,” Dockery told E! News.”They are good fans of the show.”Brian Aris/Live 8 via Getty ImagesDavid Beckham & Snoop DoggWhen the “footballer” moved to L.A. and became a “soccer player,” he befriended the rapper. Becks appeared on Snoop’s reality show, the two played soccer and Snoop plays his new music for David first.Jeff Vespa/Getty ImagesDakota Fanning & Kristen StewartThe two former child actors have worked on two films, Twilight and The Runaways, but Dakota says their friendship isn’t based on work, “When we’re together, we’re not talking about movie stuff.” Chris Polk/FilmMagicParis Hilton & Britney SpearsThe two hung out together in the aughts and maintained their friendship over the years.Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesNicki Minaj & Anna WintourThe two have two very different approaches to fashion (has Anna ever been bedazzled?), but they bonded in the front row of an Oscar de la Renta show and Anna scored a name-drop in one of Nicki’s raps. Johnny Nunez/Getty Images50 Cent & Bette MidlerNow this is one strange duet! Fiddy met Bette working for the charity New York Restoration Project, where she gushed, “He’s one of the newest members of our tribe. He’s really made my life worth living.”Kevin Mazur/WireImageTaylor Swift & Lena DunhamTaylor is a self-proclaimed good girl. Lena isn’t afraid to stir the pot. But they have a lot of mutual respect for each other and the Girls creator described T.Swift’s show as the “most life-affirming thing I’ve experienced.”Jeffrey Mayer/Getty ImagesJennifer Lopez & Leah ReminiThe former King of Queens actress has been supertight with Jenny From the Block for a while now, bonding over fashion and tweeting cutesy things at each other with the hashtag “#luckybesties.” Dave M. Benett/Getty ImagesGwyneth Paltrow & Jay-ZThe Goop goddess herself is actually friends with both Jay and his wife Beyoncé, though you might be more surprised to learn that Gwyn is an intense rap enthusiast and her kids even call Mr. Carter “Uncle Jay.” Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesBrad Pitt & Jonah HillYou might not expect the hunky thespian to be close with the dude from Superbad, but look at it this way: Brad is a total prankster (says Jonah) and Jonah is now a serious Oscar nominee (for their film Moneyball).HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty ImagesEminem & Elton JohnThe controversial rapper joined forces with Sir Elton at the 2001 Grammys and later Em turned to his new friend for support getting sober: “I told him, ‘Look, I’m going through a problem and I need your advice.'”For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
