Image source: Getty / Todd Owyoung / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank
Keke Palmer capped off a successful year on December 3 when the “Nope” star revealed she’s pregnant with her first child during her first hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live. The mom-to-be has been booked and busy all year, launching her own digital network KeyTV on September 30 and aiming for a role as the next Disney princess. With her future looking bright, Palmer took a moment to reflect on the past, particularly the story of her first real kiss, in an interview with Nicole Byer on her “Why Won’t You Date Me?” Podcast on December 2nd.
“It puts a smile on my face because it’s like, oh my god, that first little love.”
Palmer credits her first on-screen kiss to Corbin Bleu for her 2007 film Jump In! Cosmopolitanand her first “adult kiss” to Jeremy Jordan for her 2012 film Joyful Noise when she was 18 years old beings, but there was a certain movie magic to their first real kiss that no movie set could capture. “My first kiss was with a little guy I met on Myspace because it was difficult to make friends because I didn’t go to a real school,” she said. “So I was on Myspace and I found a lot of people in my age group to talk to and I found this boy my friend knew.”
Palmer went on to explain that she and the boy started chatting on Myspace for a few months and finally hooked up when she was 14,” she said. “We really wanted to meet up, so I ended up telling my parents I’d spoken to someone online.”
Although it took Palmer some time to convince her parents that the stranger she had spoken to online was worth meeting, they eventually agreed to invite him and his parents to dinner. “I remember we were hanging out in the backyard, having our ‘private moment,’ and we were in my little brother’s and my little sister’s jungle gym on the swings and we just leaned in for a little kiss.”
Palmer didn’t reveal the name of their mysterious first kiss, but she added that the sweet moment wouldn’t be her last. “We’ve been on and off for years,” she said. “Its so funny. Is not it crazy? It puts a smile on my face because it’s just, oh my god, that first little love.”
Since her pregnancy announcement, fans have become more interested in Palmer’s love life. While the star – who has been dating Darius Jackson since August 2021 – has shared snippets of their romances on social media over the years, she added that she prefers to keep most of her dating life private. “I feel like I’m living out loud, but I also feel, ‘Stay out of my f***ing business,'” she said.
At the end of their conversation, Byer and Palmer also discussed avoiding labels when it comes to their sexuality. “I fall in love with anyone I fall in love with,” Byer said. “I’m generally looking for men, but like, hey, if someone else wants to come through and we’re swinging, I’m willing to try. You never know.” For Palmer, the feeling is mutual. “If you feel good about trying to put me in a box, then I think that’s your perogative,” she said. “But I feel the same way as you where it’s like I just want to be me, shit. And I want to do that in every aspect of my life.”