Details About Keke Palmer's Age-Gap Romance When She Was A Teen

Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer has been entertaining fans since 2004 and has always been known for her candid, bubbly personality. Because the actress and singer has been in the public eye for much of her life, she prefers to keep her relationship status private, according to an interview with Harper's Bazaar. Palmer continues to keep her relationships private, but in 2024, she revealed to People that she was in a five-year age-gap relationship while she was a teenager. 

"I don't really do relationship stuff online, mainly because I don't know how I would do it without looking, like, cheesy or something, you know? Yes, I'm a hundred percent authentic, but there is stuff that I do save for family and friends," Palmer shared with the media outlet. She further explained that she prefers to date outside of the entertainment business to ensure that her relationships — both romantic and platonic — remain genuine.

Palmer told People she dated a 20-year-old while she was only 15. Palmer didn't reveal who the man five years her senior was, but she explained that it was her first time falling in love. In hindsight, the "Akeelah and the Bee" actress noted the relationship was inappropriate, but given her fame and struggles at the time, she felt that only a "grown man" could understand her life and all she had been through. "I think it's another version of like not realizing what you've experienced or what you've been through and how it's affected you," she said. "I even think the way that I would look at what was appropriate and what wasn't appropriate was based off of that relationship because if I thought it was inappropriate then I wouldn't have done it."

While discussing the age-gap relationship with People, Keke Palmer said she didn't realize it was inappropriate until she was in a space where she felt her love was reciprocated. "It wasn't until I was a grown woman real — grown woman 27, 28 — I had finally experienced, I think, genuine love," Palmer said. "Not that I didn't love that person, but I felt what it was like for someone to love me back and to actually give me respect that I realized that relationship was wrong."

Palmer said she's now looking for an "Urkel" type of guy, referencing Jaleel White's "Family Matters" character. "I'm looking for the guy that's in the sitcom. I'm looking for the guy that makes the 'dad jokes,' you know, the 'son jokes,'" she said. 

In a 2017 interview with Hot 97, while talking about her dating life, the actress also expressed the importance of dating someone with a strong sense of humor. "I would love for him to have a sense of humor because I'm so goofy and funny." She further mentioned that her partner needed to be ambitious, loyal, and honest. Most of all, the star pointed out that being in a relationship where strong love exists is what truly matters irrespective of whether that love is coming from a man or woman. "Where love is, that's where I'm going... that's what I'm about," she said. "It's not about all the other stuff, it's just about love. So, if that's a guy great, if that's a girl, great. It doesn't really matter to me."