These days, it seems like Keke Palmer just can't stop going viral and we are here for all of it.
Over the past year, sis has blessed us with the professional glow-up of the century after securing a permanent bag on the Sara, Strahan, and Keke Show as one of the youngest talk show hosts in television history, and it seems like the starlet has captured the eye of just about everyone in Hollywood, including but not limited to reality TV alum, Mike Johnson.
Mike, who made his television debut on the 15th season of The Bachelorette, recently decided to shoot his shot on national television and asked Keke Palmer on a date and her reaction was literally all of us.
Later, Keke explained that she meant no harm by her animated response and revealed the real reason she's so quick to curve:
"Well, first of all, I get real spooked about entertainers or reality [stars]…I don't know, it really scares me to date people in the industry. That's number 1. Number 2: He asked me in front of everybody. I felt totally like, ambushed. I felt ambushed. I felt like it was a big ol' gag. I've been duped!"
The awkward but hilarious predicament that Mike put himself in wasn't the first time a celebrity has attempted to lock Keke down, but sorry to those men (and women); at the moment, Keke is fully captivated by her career. In a 2016 interview with the Yes! Girl Podcast, Keke revealed that dating as a child star-turned industry icon has been "terrible for her" and she's often had to fight to see through her potential suitor's ulterior motives. She explained:
"When I tell you dating is terrible, it's so terrible because, like, there are times where it will be industry situations and I can tell that the guy is more excited about my career than I am. I've dated guys in the industry that are like, 'I can't wait until you do a movie like Catwoman and movies like that,' and I'm like, 'Are you good? Because I don't like you getting turned on by where my movie career is going!'"
Keke says that after a lifetime in the spotlight, she has also had to learn the hard way that men can be gold diggers too.
"Then there will be other situations when I'm dating a guy who is not in the industry or maybe he's not that well known and he comes at me with that like, 'I'm going to get ready to do this and I got a lot of stuff going on and I'm working too' and it's like, I get it—you want me to know that you're not a loser. Please stop overcompensating. So it becomes difficult sometimes to find that sweet spot of somebody who's not trying to compete with you, that doesn't feel insecure about your career and that's not trying to hi-jack your brand."
While we know the young starlet will one day find love, you can be sure, please know that she is not trying to find it on live TV. Although Keke and Mike didn't seem to make a love connection on the show, their cringeworthy exchange gave us with yet another Keke Palmer meme that made 2019 a little bit better.
So, thanks for your service, Mike.
Featured image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for IFP