Keith Powers on Therapy, Growth & Ryan Destiny

Keith Powers kicks it with Keke! In this catch-up between longtime friends, Keith opens up about his mental health journey, choosing sobriety, and how therapy helped him understand himself on a deeper level. He also shares the story behind proposing to Ryan Destiny after a relationship setback that tested their bond, and reflects on the wisdom he gained from working with the late James Van Der Beek on their new thriller The Gates. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Keke Palmer?

  Okay, y'all. You've seen my next guest in the new edition story. You felt his chemistry opposite Gabrielle Union in "The Perfect Find," a performance that earned him an NAACP Image Award. And now, he's stepping into darker territory with the new thriller, "The Gates." But what makes him stand out isn't just the roles. It's how intentional he is about his life. The clarity, the way he moves with purpose in his love, his craft, and his commitment to stories that resonate beyond the screen. Keith Powers is here, y'all, and we're getting into all of it. Because, baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 1:05Keke Palmer?

  Please welcome Keith Powers. Hey, Keith. Oh, my gosh, I don't know. I didn't realize you cut your hair.

• 1:13Speaker 01

  Yes, I did.

• 1:14Keke Palmer?

  What made you cut your hair look good, though?

• 1:16Speaker 01

  I got tired of it.

• 1:18Keke Palmer?

  Dealing with it, getting it ready, all that grooming.

• 1:20Speaker 01

  Always, yeah.

• 1:20Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 1:21Speaker 01

  Waking up and it's all matted down.

• 1:23Keke Palmer?

  I'm so glad that you're here.

• 1:24Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm glad to be here.

• 1:25Keke Palmer?

  I'm like, that's crazy it took a minute.

• 1:26Speaker 01

  I know.

• 1:27Keke Palmer?

  Like, hey.

• 1:28Speaker 01

  I feel like it's the right time to be here, too. Anytime I see a show that I'm like, yo, I would love to be on that show. I'm like, it gotta be the right time.

• 1:35Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 1:35Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying?

• 1:36Keke Palmer?

  You got a new movie coming out. Lot of good things going on. I can't wait to get into it with you. But first, we're gonna get into these pre-show pull-up questions.

• 1:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Excuse my handwriting. I feel like so many people probably say that.

• 1:46Keke Palmer?

  It's actually better than you would imagine. Like, I feel like mine's looks like chicken scraps.

• 1:50Speaker 01

  That's me when I was trying. I'm trying very hard for it not to look crazy right there.

• 1:54Keke Palmer?

  So, obviously, I know your sign because we go way back. Like, we've been friends for, like, 10, I mean, since I was like 21. I feel like I met you when I was like 22.

• 2:01Speaker 01

  It's been a minute, yes.

• 2:02Keke Palmer?

  It's been forever. So, I already knew you were on the Leo-Vergo cusp.

• 2:05Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 2:06Keke Palmer?

  But your big three, Leo, Sag, Gemini. So, do you feel more defined, like, you take the Leo more than the Virgo, you think?

• 2:14Speaker 01

  I don't know, I feel like it go back and forth. Like, I feel like when I was younger, it was more Leo.

• 2:18Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:19Speaker 01

  But I feel like it was Leo on the outside, but at home, it was more Virgo.

• 2:24Keke Palmer?

  Virgo's our homebody.

• 2:25Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? And as I've gotten older, I just feel like it's more Virgo.

• 2:29Keke Palmer?

  Yes, because I feel like now you be repping the Virgo.

• 2:31Speaker 01

  Lowkey, I do. I do, but people get mad at me. If I told somebody I was a Leo before, they'd be like, "Bro, you're a Leo." I'm like, "I'm both, bro."

• 2:38Keke Palmer?

  And then the Sag of it all. Your Sag is the moon?

• 2:41Speaker 01

  Uh, my Gemini is in the moon.

• 2:43Keke Palmer?

  Your Gemini is the moon and your Sag is the rising?

• 2:45Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:45Keke Palmer?

  Okay, I'm a Sag moon, and my rising is a Cancer. That's a lot going on with me.

• 2:50Speaker 01

  That's a lot going on.

• 2:51Keke Palmer?

  You, how do you feel that the Gemini plays out? Do you connect to the Gemini of it all?

• 2:54Speaker 01

  I feel like I do. I don't know too much about Geminis, though. I just know that a lot of my favorite rappers are Geminis.

• 3:01Keke Palmer?

  Okay, Tupac Shakur?

• 3:02Speaker 01

  Tupac Shakur, Kendrick Lamar.

• 3:03Keke Palmer?

  Yes, Kendrick Lamar. Prince, I know he's not a rapper, but he is a popular Gemini.

• 3:08Speaker 01

  No, facts, facts.

• 3:08Keke Palmer?

  Um, what are you most grateful for today? You said my family and life itself.

• 3:12Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 3:13Keke Palmer?

  I feel like anybody that knows you, that's the vibe.

• 3:15Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, all day.

• 3:16Keke Palmer?

  You were so close to your family. I remember when I just met your mom and, um, your dad at, uh, was it Ryan's birthday?

• 3:21Speaker 01

  Ryan's birthday, yeah.

• 3:21Keke Palmer?

  And you was like, it was very church. Like, I was living, I'm like, that is so key. You're so like, family, community. I love that.

• 3:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, for sure.

• 3:31Keke Palmer?

  Um, a relationship or friendship non-negotiable for you to be yourself? Some people do be out here not being theyself.

• 3:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, I just, I just feel like it's easier when you're just you, unapologetically. And we ain't gotta worry about nothing, you know what I'm saying? You ain't gotta show off. I just used this song on my last post that Kendrick Lamar, "You Ain't Gotta Lie to Kick It."

• 3:48Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 3:48Speaker 01

  You feel me? Just be you.

• 3:50Keke Palmer?

  It's like, and it's a hard thing to approach, because sometimes I've had, you know, relationships with people where it's like, "I really do think you're dope, but you do this thing where you don't think you're dope."

• 3:58Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 3:58Keke Palmer?

  And so now, how am I supposed to tell you that?

• 4:00Speaker 01

  Yeah, then it's awkward, too. Like, just be you. Like, you good. Like, you good around me. Please just be you, because that just, it makes it more fun, honestly.

• 4:08Keke Palmer?

  Yes, I feel like especially now at our age now, we're seeing a lot of that. Like, in our early twenties, it was like, we playing, we kicking it. But then now we getting in our thirties, it's like, it's time to be serious. Like, whatever avatar you were using before, like, we have to change it. Like, I feel that approaching me. Um, what's a question you wish you were asked more in interviews? Asked more in interviews. I don't have one that stands out. Yeah, a lot of people say that.

• 4:30Speaker 01

  That's a tough one, because I'm always more so, I never just leave an interview like, "Man, I wish they would've asked this." It's more like, "Dang, they asked a dope question. I was not expecting that."

• 4:38Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 4:38Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? So...

• 4:39Keke Palmer?

  You're here for the vibes of it all?

• 4:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm here for the vibes.

• 4:42Keke Palmer?

  Okay, who is someone you've met that made you feel starstruck? You met Frank Osh- I met Frank Oshin once and I also gagged. He's really gaggy.

• 4:50Speaker 01

  I didn't meet him, I seen him. I was with Ryan, we was at Coachella. We had just got done seeing, we was on our way to see SZA. And everybody, he had on a mask, this before, you know, COVID, he had on a mask. And I knew it was him. I said, yo Ryan, that's Frank. She was like, Keith, relax. I'm like, no.

• 5:05Keke Palmer?

  That's Frank.

• 5:06Speaker 01

  Yo, hold on, that's.

• 5:09Keke Palmer?

  No, because why, because this is the thing about Frank. Is that his music is so global.

• 5:16Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 5:16Keke Palmer?

  Like it has the R and B, but then it also has the alternative, then it also has like the funk. He just hits it on every accord.

• 5:25Speaker 01

  And you feel like you're never gonna see him out.

• 5:26Keke Palmer?

  I know.

• 5:27Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? I'm like, yo, that's Frank. She was like, Ryan was embarrassed.

• 5:31Keke Palmer?

  I really wonder like what he's doing right now and if he cares that we miss him so much. He don't.

• 5:35Speaker 01

  He's just living his life. And then I put Beyonce and Denzel and Will too.

• 5:41Keke Palmer?

  Wait a minute. So tell me the story of meeting Beyonce, Denzel and Will.

• 5:45Speaker 01

  I met Beyonce for the first time at Michael B. Jordan's party, I think, birthday party in like 2019.

• 5:50Keke Palmer?

  I love that Michael just had her casually showing up.

• 5:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, right. It was Beyonce. That was crazy. It was Beyonce and Jay-Z. I met her that night. I tried to play it cool. Me and Ryan actually met her for the first time.

• 6:01Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 6:02Speaker 01

  Yeah, and then I never met Denzel, but I seen him at the ABFF Honors and he just walked through.

• 6:07Keke Palmer?

  I love the ABFF Honors. That is a wonderful event. Food is always slamming.

• 6:12Speaker 01

  Food good. Everybody looks so nice. It's bright in there.

• 6:14Keke Palmer?

  And then they have that moment where everybody walk around and they get real church.

• 6:17Speaker 01

  No fact.

• 6:18Keke Palmer?

  Cause like, we gotta sit back down, y'all. The show gotta go on.

• 6:20Speaker 01

  No facts, but Denzel walked through there and I was just like, bro, that's Zell.

• 6:24Keke Palmer?

  Not Zell. Y'all play like that.

• 6:27Speaker 01

  That's how I feel.

• 6:28Keke Palmer?

  That's Zell. I live for Zell.

• 6:30Speaker 01

  He don't even know he unk.

• 6:31Keke Palmer?

  He don't even know.

• 6:32Speaker 01

  He unk all day. And then I met Will Smith in a table read, actually randomly.

• 6:38Keke Palmer?

  I know, that's right. Doing a table read with Will Smith, okay?

• 6:41Speaker 01

  No, that was dope. When I met him, I was just like, yo, that's Will. So yeah, those are the, those are the four that stick out.

• 6:47Keke Palmer?

  I feel like Will Smith is so Will Smithy. It's like the same thing I think about Tom Hanks, where it's like, y'all are just y'all. Like it's like, what's up? It's Will. Like, he's so Will. Um, what's a mantra you live by and why? Stay ready. You ain't gotta be ready. That's also me.

• 7:03Speaker 01

  For real?

• 7:04Keke Palmer?

  Cause honey, I'm staying ready at all times.

• 7:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, you really do. So you ain't never gotta get ready.

• 7:08Keke Palmer?

  Do you feel like that's something you grew up learning? I mean, I know you played football. I feel like that is also very athletic minded, you know?

• 7:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, my dad used to just say it all the time.

• 7:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 7:17Speaker 01

  Stay ready, you ain't got to get ready.

• 7:18Keke Palmer?

  Period.

• 7:18Speaker 01

  And I needed that for my, you know, I was serial procrastinator. And I never really moved with intention, like, growing up. And I just feel like looking now, I'm like, I see what pops was saying, you stay ready.

• 7:31Keke Palmer?

  You seem like such an intentional person in my mind, too. So it's crazy to hear you say that.

• 7:34Speaker 01

  I just really got there like around my thirties.

• 7:37Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 7:38Speaker 01

  Like, to really understand what it means to be intentional.

• 7:40Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 7:40Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? I've always had goals, but like, that, now I feel like I move with intention, for sure.

• 7:46Keke Palmer?

  Okay, we're gonna get into that. But I wanna start at the beginning because you were born in Sacramento.

• 7:50Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 7:50Keke Palmer?

  And you're the oldest of four.

• 7:52Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 7:53Keke Palmer?

  I have not seen all of your, like, four boys, four.

• 7:57Speaker 01

  It's, no, no, it's the, oh, yeah, well, yeah, no, so, okay.

• 8:00Keke Palmer?

  Let's get into it.

• 8:00Speaker 01

  So I have.

• 8:01Keke Palmer?

  See, there's a story here.

• 8:03Speaker 01

  I have two sisters and two brothers.

• 8:05Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 8:05Speaker 01

  So five of us total.

• 8:06Keke Palmer?

  All right.

• 8:07Speaker 01

  My older brother, I just found out about in two thousand seventeen.

• 8:10Keke Palmer?

  Your older brother?

• 8:10Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 8:11Keke Palmer?

  Who's the brother that's fine with you all the time that I see with the locks?

• 8:14Speaker 01

  Okay, that's Kevin.

• 8:17Keke Palmer?

  He knows, I believe this, we are, the brother, your brother is fine. You remember, smart guy, your brother is smart. Yes, very handsome young man.

• 8:26Speaker 01

  Yes, that's my little brother. Um, and then I have a little sister who is twenty-six.

• 8:30Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 8:31Speaker 01

  Her name is Kalen. And then I have a thirteen-year-old sister who is Skylar.

• 8:34Keke Palmer?

  Okay, parents kept going.

• 8:36Speaker 01

  Yes, they did.

• 8:39Keke Palmer?

  Now, are they still in Sacramento? I know, I know Kevin's here.

• 8:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, my sisters are, and my older brother is still in Sacramento.

• 8:44Keke Palmer?

  Okay. So, growing up, what was it like? You were in sports, you know, y'all was always kicking it, family very close type, man?

• 8:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, like, very, it was really community-based. I played sports growing up. I feel like I played sports because that's what I seen around me.

• 8:58Keke Palmer?

  Sure.

• 8:59Speaker 01

  Like, I mean, I seen the streets, but then I seen sports and sports is more glamorous. Like, of course, I, I played sports and like, just growing up with a lot of kids, like, a lot of cousins. I already had a lot of siblings, I had a lot of, I'm blessed to have all my grandparents, except for my great-grandparents who just passed. Yeah, it's crazy to think about. So like, it was just always going house to house. You know what I'm saying? So, that was just my upbringing, and I think that's why. Family matters so much to me like that, like it's very important. Like it stresses me out if I feel like I'm having a good time in my life or I'm doing something successful and my family, like my family gotta be good in order for me to truly feel good.

• 9:36Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 9:37Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying?

• 9:38Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 9:38Speaker 01

  It was just upbringing was just all about community.

• 9:41Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and it seems like your family is very much so a part of everything that you do.

• 9:44Speaker 01

  Oh, for sure.

• 9:44Keke Palmer?

  And I could see that you, I'm this same way where I'm thinking about them with every move I make. Cause I can't embarrass y'all.

• 9:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, no.

• 9:50Keke Palmer?

  Like I cannot do the wrong, you know what I'm saying?

• 9:53Speaker 01

  Yup.

• 9:54Keke Palmer?

  How did entertainment find its way to you? Cause I know you said you, you know, entertainment was always the dream.

• 9:58Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:59Keke Palmer?

  But doing sports, even though I do think sports is entertainment as well.

• 10:02Speaker 01

  It is, yeah, basically.

• 10:03Keke Palmer?

  But it's also entertainment, we show up, you know, all that type of stuff. When did you know that maybe you wanted to take it a step further?

• 10:10Speaker 01

  I would, honestly, after high school, football didn't work out and I was lost, to be real.

• 10:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 10:16Speaker 01

  And I had got recruited by a modeling agency in San Francisco.

• 10:20Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 10:21Speaker 01

  Um, it was called a look agency at the time. Um, and they recruited me, looked out, they said they liked my look. At the time, I'm like, what am I gonna do in NorCal modeling? Like it didn't sound, it was too close to home to feel like it was gonna do anything.

• 10:34Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 10:34Speaker 01

  So then I was like, I just gotta leave. I ended up leaving, just to, just leaving to LA. My godmom stayed out here, my dad said he was gonna be trucking from Northern California to Southern California. I was like, I'm going with you. And I went with him. And in my agency out here, I mean in San Francisco, they were just like, it was JE Model, actually. It was Look Agency when I was nine, cause I modeled when I was nine, this is crazy.

• 10:57Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I want some photos from them, nine-year-old.

• 10:59Speaker 01

  I know, I gotta find them. And then I stopped because my mom was like, you either doing this or playing sports. I was like, I'm playing sports.

• 11:05Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 11:06Speaker 01

  So then it was JE Model later. I left, JE Model was like, why did you leave without telling us? Because they were like, we could recommend you to other.

• 11:13Keke Palmer?

  People over there in LA, yes.

• 11:15Speaker 01

  And then I end up, they end up recommending me to Wilhelmina. And that's how I got into the industry.

• 11:20Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 11:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 11:21Keke Palmer?

  That seems, I don't know a lot about the modeling world. Like I feel like many of us, we look on, you know, I'm in, I'm in entertainment and I've had friends of mine be like, hey, do you know anybody helping with modeling? It's a totally different world.

• 11:32Speaker 01

  It's very different.

• 11:32Keke Palmer?

  So what was it like being a model?

• 11:35Speaker 01

  Being a model, at first, it was, it was just like, it was a culture shock for me at first.

• 11:42Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 11:42Speaker 01

  Cause I felt like I couldn't really be myself when I would pull up to like, like auditions and stuff. And I, I always stayed with my face shaved, my hair low. That was my look.

• 11:52Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 11:52Speaker 01

  I didn't have no tattoos at the time and I just felt like I need to stay like this so I could work.

• 11:56Keke Palmer?

  I'm not mad.

• 11:57Speaker 01

  I can't grow out my hair and I wanted to, but I was just like, I don't know how, I don't know how I'll be accepted. You know what I'm saying? And it sucks that you kinda gotta like, do that. And I wasn't like acting different or anything, but I felt like I took a step back into like the corner when I walked into those spaces. I didn't really like own a room. You feel what I'm saying? I was just like, middle of the pack. Let me make sure I do what I gotta do so I could make my money, go back home, chill.

• 12:19Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:20Speaker 01

  Be comfortable. You feel what I'm saying? So that's how it was. But it was actually really cool. Like I met a lot of people. Being a model really opened like my mind to more people in the, like different people in the world. Variety of people.

• 12:32Keke Palmer?

  Probably because you had to do so much traveling too. I'd imagine you were exposed to a lot.

• 12:36Speaker 01

  A lot. And I just met really beautiful people where I was like, it like helped with my empathy, I would say.

• 12:42Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 12:42Speaker 01

  I really would say, because I felt like I was meeting people that I wasn't meeting back home. And they were telling me stories and I was just like, bro, that's crazy. Like.

• 12:49Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:49Speaker 01

  I grew up in a very closed minded in, environment. You feel what I'm saying? So to meet certain people, I was just like, dang, I really, I really love your story and I could relate to it.

• 12:58Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:58Speaker 01

  Which is crazy. Like I, I feel that even where I'm coming from. And I think that's what I really loved about the modeling industry. And then on top of that, you got the castings and stuff and how the industry goes and booking campaigns and you got commercial, uh, modeling versus high fashion modeling is just.

• 13:15Keke Palmer?

  Did you ever have a preference? I feel like when you're on the carpet now, it's giving high fashion all the way. Yeah, like it's giving you that. So I don't know if you were mostly commercial or.

• 13:22Speaker 01

  I think for the look, fashion, but commercial used to pay.

• 13:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I would imagine so.

• 13:27Speaker 01

  Commercial used to pay. Yeah. Like I, I do commercial any day, but I felt like fashion for your portfolio, I was like. Yeah, you see, I just did that right there. Didn't really get paid, nothing, but you know. It just looked cooler.

• 13:39Keke Palmer?

  How them fashion magazines is true.

• 13:41Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 13:42Keke Palmer?

  Speaking of empathy, you, you've called your dad the most significant man in my life, and I feel the same way about my dad. Um, but what do you feel like he really protects you from growing up, you know, and how he, you know, how he's impacted the man you've become today?

• 13:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, my dad is, I love my dad so much. My dad is so flawed. As, I mean, we're all flawed.

• 14:01Keke Palmer?

  Exactly.

• 14:02Speaker 01

  But my dad is flawed and he lays it out on the table for you. I could really respect that about my dad, and we might bump heads about how we think about things, but he's, he's gonna listen to what you have to say. Like, my dad was always the one that just would say certain things to me young to make sure I stayed grounded. Like, always, he'd just be like, it was a stay ready, you ain't got to get ready thing. But then he used to be, he used to always tell me this when I was younger, he used to be like, you need to slow your life down. I'm like, what are you talking about? You, at like sixteen, seventeen, like, what are you talking, he's like, some days, just, just get on the bus. He used to tell me this when I first moved to LA, just get on the bus and just sit and just watch people. I didn't know what he was talking about until now. I'm like, yo, pops, that was real. Like, he used to always just be like, you just gotta slow your life down and just enjoy it.

• 14:47Speaker 01

  He was like, because it just, it's gonna go, and you're gonna look back and be like, dang, I really wish I just would've paused, you know what I'm saying? And my dad was so funny about him saying that he lived a fast life.

• 14:57Keke Palmer?

  Right, well, that's probably, he must've been speaking from the experience, and then he's like, I don't want my son to have to.

• 15:01Speaker 01

  That's one thing my dad would do. He would preach the opposite of what he was living. To protect us. You know what I'm saying? So even if I didn't feel like he was practicing what he preached all the way, I knew it was coming from a place of like, I'm figuring this out, and I need you to know it when you get to this age. Cause my dad was twenty years old when he had me, and my mom was like seventeen, eighteen, you know what I'm saying? So, I'm like, dang, like, I watched my parents grow, and I watched my dad grow, and go through things, and he'll come back to me like, you need to do this, this, this, you know what I'm saying? And that's, and that's so important to me because I could sit here and tell you what my dad needed to work on, but at the same time, he did a lot, like, and I really appreciate that. Because it's tough. I'm looking now, like, you know, growing up, we'd be like, we're gonna have like five kids, ten kids.

• 15:46Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh, that has changed. Because it's really a lot with these kids. When we think, my parents, I'm one of four.

• 15:52Speaker 01

  Okay, yeah.

• 15:53Keke Palmer?

  And my parents still young, got married, you know, same. It was similar vibe as your family, honestly. When I think about them at my age, already having all these damn kids.

• 16:02Speaker 01

  No way.

• 16:03Keke Palmer?

  What were they doing?

• 16:04Speaker 01

  There's no way. I applaud your parents, Kiki.

• 16:06Keke Palmer?

  I applaud. And I applaud the Powers, the Powers parents, too. How do you feel like having that relationship helped you with vulnerability? And I ask because I feel like you're somebody as a young black man out there that speaks on a lot of stuff that I think, you know, a lot of people don't. And I've always thought to myself that like, the relationship with a father and son, especially when the son is able to see how his father expresses vulnerability. I think it's just a really powerful thing for a young man to see. How do you feel that that has, you know, helped you in that regard?

• 16:37Speaker 01

  To be honest with you, my dad is not the most vulnerable person. Like, he not, he like, he, he don't, he won't let you see him cry. He keep a lot of stuff in, to be real. I think what helped me, and this is crazy, I think what helped me mostly understand and become more vulnerable and be able to talk about things and be more transparent is online, is the internet, is hearing other people's stories. I'm gonna be real, cuz I, I grew up really with the idea like, I can't, my dad used to always say, "Don't let nobody see you sweat." And I would confuse that with like, "I can't cry in front of people." You know, I was a crybaby growing up. And I feel like I put up a wall because my parents used to always be like, "You cry too much." So I end up putting up a wall, and I realized how heavy that wall was once I started going to therapy.

• 17:21Speaker 01

  And I'm like, dang, I was really like, I was told to put, I was not told to put this wall up, but basically, I was told to put this wall up. And now it's like, damn, how do I get, how do I break this down and be more open as a person? And be able to speak on my emotions and stuff? And I think like, my dad is not the best at that.

• 17:39Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 17:40Speaker 01

  But I'm better at that, and I'll just, I like, when we talk now, it feels like he can be vulnerable. Like, without even second guessing or feeling like, "Oh, I shouldn't probably say this to my son." And I think that's because I'm so open to that now.

• 17:52Keke Palmer?

  I love what you said because I do feel like our generation, like, we are such digital kids. I mean, I'm sure you feel like MySpace, like Facebook. I had a MySpace page at 12, 13, and I feel like it really helped me. It really did help me to learn how to talk and also just to build my space, build my world where I could actually like... Try stuff out and figure out who I am. And so I really love that, like, when you decided to start doing therapy, was that something that the people around you were speaking of? Or were you seeing it online and said, well, let me give it a little try? How did you, you know, make your way there?

• 18:20Speaker 01

  I was seeing it online, seeing my frie- hearing my friends go. Was feeling like, I went through a little depression at one point, and I didn't know it was depression. You know what I'm saying? So I started doing-

• 18:31Keke Palmer?

  How old were you?

• 18:32Speaker 01

  When I went through that, I think I was like twenty-four, twenty-five. And I think when I went through that, I didn't know what it was. And I didn't know my whole life I had anxiety. So I started learning out, I started learning about this, this stuff. And then I was like, I need to go to therapy. I need to talk to somebody about this.

• 18:46Keke Palmer?

  Those words be feeling like we in the movie Conjuring.

• 18:47Speaker 01

  No, for sure.

• 18:48Keke Palmer?

  Naming the demon in our lives. Anxiety, depression.

• 18:53Speaker 01

  No, PTSD, all that, for real. Like, it's, it's real. So I was like, I was just, that's why stories are so important.

• 19:00Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 19:00Speaker 01

  Cause I'm hearing other people's story and I'm like, that's me.

• 19:03Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 19:03Speaker 01

  Like, yo, I'm going through that same thing. Now I'm looking online, like, therapist near you.

• 19:07Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 19:08Speaker 01

  Therapist near you.

• 19:10Keke Palmer?

  That's the same way it was for me. Like, literally just putting in words. I remember I used to love this website called Thinkexist.com. And I would put in like a vibe or something I was feeling. And I would get all these philosopher quotes. And I'm like, oh, wait a minute. So this is a way that people in humanity feels and has dealt with over the course of time?

• 19:27Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 19:28Keke Palmer?

  And it really minimizes what we're worried about because we realize we're not alone.

• 19:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's the best feeling. To know like, oh, okay, so all these people I look up to going through the same thing.

• 19:38Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 19:38Speaker 01

  So, okay, okay. So I just gotta find a way to cope with it and just understand it, really, because it's just life.

• 19:44Keke Palmer?

  It is just life.

• 19:45Speaker 01

  You just gotta know that you're going to run into this. It's like, how do you, how do you find peace within it and get better? And, and, you know, and deal with it in a, in a healthy way?

• 19:57Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah, I, I couldn't agree with you more. Going back to Will and Mina, that agency, they're the ones who first mentioned it. And maybe not first, first mentioned it, but said, hey, do you wanna branch off into acting? Is that correct?

• 20:08Speaker 01

  Yeah, I had an agent at Will and Mina that was just like, you ever thought about acting? I was like, yeah, but I didn't think I was gonna actually act. I was in Sacramento. I remember they used to do these Disney, I don't know if you remember, they used- At these Disney commercials where it would show you somebody who booked.

• 20:21Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 20:22Speaker 01

  And it would show the audition process.

• 20:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 20:23Speaker 01

  I don't know how real that was. They could have, they could have shot that after.

• 20:27Keke Palmer?

  I think it would always be like a once in a lifetime thing and then that company would keep on getting more money.

• 20:32Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 20:32Keke Palmer?

  To be like, we found.

• 20:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 20:34Keke Palmer?

  Hillary Duff. And it's like, no the hell y'all didn't.

• 20:36Speaker 01

  No, facts. I, I would see like kids doing like little front flips on the ground and stuff for roles and I'm like, man, I wanna do that. Like, but in my head, I'm like, it's no way I could, who cannot, like, how can I do that where I'm at?

• 20:48Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 20:49Speaker 01

  Um, but yeah, she was just, she asked me and I was like, yeah, like, heck yeah, like what? And then as soon as she introduced me to my first boutique agency, who was a commercial agent at the time. So I just started off doing like commercial auditions.

• 21:01Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 21:01Speaker 01

  And they were so awkward and crazy and I was like, what is this?

• 21:04Keke Palmer?

  What was you doing up in them?

• 21:05Speaker 01

  Man, it was one, it was one, it was one audition where we had to act like we was diving into water. But we were.

• 21:12Keke Palmer?

  Right here, like this.

• 21:13Speaker 01

  It was crazy. So we had to act like we was in line waiting to jump off the diving board.

• 21:20Speaker 01

  And he's like, y'all ready? Yeah, we ready. Let's go. And we were just ju- And literally just like squat on the floor, get up, but then you can't get too high so the camera see you, you gotta squat off.

• 21:30Keke Palmer?

  Have us do all this crazy stuff. It's like, why are we up in this room doing this?

• 21:34Speaker 01

  No, for sure.

• 21:34Keke Palmer?

  For a job, honey.

• 21:35Speaker 01

  For a job, yeah. We was gonna make it happen for a job.

• 21:37Keke Palmer?

  When did it become something where it's like, hey, now I got lines and now there's a script I gotta read?

• 21:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, that was like, that was once, I was blessed enough from my boutique agency to become a TV and film agency as well.

• 21:48Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 21:49Speaker 01

  So they were just, they, they just moved me right over and I was going out for auditions and that was like, oh man, I, I got a lot of auditions from back then, like the early self tapes. Cause we wasn't doing self tapes like that. I got them still.

• 22:03Keke Palmer?

  I got them still?

• 22:04Speaker 01

  I, I look at them and just laugh because the stakes are so high when you first start. You know what I'm saying?

• 22:11Keke Palmer?

  It's so high.

• 22:12Speaker 01

  You gotta learn to like do it.

• 22:13Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 22:14Speaker 01

  And move on.

• 22:14Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 22:15Speaker 01

  But then like, no, like that was like the month highlight, like yo, I got this audition.

• 22:20Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. Did you prefer the tapes or the in persons? I remember going to so many when I was a kid and then as I got it to be a young adult, it was very little in person.

• 22:29Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 22:29Keke Palmer?

  Everything was.

• 22:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, I feel like when you started too, it was like prime two of like.

• 22:35Keke Palmer?

  It was like so OG.

• 22:36Speaker 01

  I feel like when I started, I feel like when I started, it was a lot of in person. And I, I hated in person during that time, yeah. And unless, unless I felt like I really had a chance to get it.

• 22:47Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 22:47Speaker 01

  Like get the job, but I would say now, I miss in person.

• 22:53Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 22:53Speaker 01

  I took that for granted. I miss walking in and seeing twenty people look like you.

• 22:57Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, they be like, hey, I didn't know you was going out for this.

• 23:01Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 23:01Keke Palmer?

  That is very Hollywood Shuffle. Have you seen, you know, it's like, hey, what's up, bro? How you doing, man? Okay, yeah, me too.

• 23:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 23:07Keke Palmer?

  Like that.

• 23:07Speaker 01

  We going to the next one, and then everybody trying to figure each other out too. They sizing each other up, like, so you just came from one? Which one was that one?

• 23:15Keke Palmer?

  Oh my god.

• 23:15Speaker 01

  I didn't have that one.

• 23:17Keke Palmer?

  That was the moment in the vibe. It was very much community building, especially for us young black actors. I remember like, you know Chelsea Tavares?

• 23:25Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 23:26Keke Palmer?

  So Robin Tavares, her mom, when we were kids, my mom, we would go on auditions and we would start seeing the same people all the time. That's literally, Robin Tavares is how we got our whole like child actor, of young black actors community because she would host parties. And she would say, hey y'all, did y'all hear about this movie? Like, make sure your daughter auditions, like.

• 23:43Speaker 01

  That is so fire.

• 23:45Keke Palmer?

  Shout out to Justice Tavares, shout out to Robin Tavares. They literally, we just celebrated my son's birthday, but it's like that community stuff is everything.

• 23:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, I've met a lot of friends in those auditions. That's how I met Mel.

• 23:55Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 23:56Speaker 01

  I met Melvin in a commercial audition.

• 23:58Keke Palmer?

  That's crazy.

• 23:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, I remember he had like a shirt on. That's when we all used to wear like the same thing too. It was like the colored shirt, the skinny jeans with the boots.

• 24:05Keke Palmer?

  No. And the silhouette of that was also insane.

• 24:09Speaker 01

  Yeah, it was.

• 24:10Keke Palmer?

  Because why a boot with a skinny? I mean, I guess it was kind of punk.

• 24:13Speaker 01

  No, fast.

• 24:14Keke Palmer?

  You guys are kind of giving like, one, you know.

• 24:18Speaker 01

  Cause tonight will be the night.

• 24:22Speaker 01

  No, no.

• 24:24Keke Palmer?

  That is so funny.

• 24:25Speaker 01

  That is hilarious. Like, we all had the same silhouette. So I remember meeting Mel at one of those, but yeah.

• 24:30Keke Palmer?

  And I remember all y'all used to always go to this one barber that was right up in Fairfield. I don't know who this barber. I would see so many, you know, because I would be dating some people. And I mean, we'd be at the barber shop. And I'd be like, oh, that's the dude. Oh, and I was like, this is the after barber shop?

• 24:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 24:43Keke Palmer?

  Like, why there's so many similarities?

• 24:44Speaker 01

  Whoa, I think you just unlocked a memory.

• 24:46Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 24:47Speaker 01

  I forgot about that barber shop. I didn't even go, but I just heard about a lot of people going there.

• 24:50Keke Palmer?

  Everybody went to this barber shop. It was a hangout.

• 24:53Speaker 01

  What in the world?

• 24:54Keke Palmer?

  Barber shops be like that, though. Um, okay, so when was the point that you were like, oh, I model, but like, now I'm really an actor? Where it became the main, the, the front runner in terms of your career?

• 25:05Speaker 01

  I feel like I used to battle. I mean, I feel like I always battled with a little imposter syndrome. Like, that's just what I battled with. But I feel like at that time, when I was a model, getting into acting and going into those, it was acting classes that made me feel like that. I was just saying. It was acting classes where I was like, okay, I could say I'm an actor. But it would be times where I'll be in those acting classes and I would see these aspiring actors who really live, sleep, drink, breathe, acting. You know what I'm saying? So I never felt comfortable calling myself an actor at first, because I was like, I need to get like that. Because they really respect the craft and they don't just, of course, they want to get in the business. Like, of course, we want to do this on a, on a higher level. But they really, they acting wherever.

• 25:46Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 25:46Speaker 01

  Like, they're, like, like how you would play pickup basketball? If you threw some, some dialogue down on the paper, some size, like getting after it, like, off rip.

• 25:54Keke Palmer?

  Seriously. That was definitely like, I feel like that's, even though I didn't go to like, um, you know, school for acting or anything like that, I was using every opportunity to act. And that's why I fell in love with digital, like the whole Vine, the whole Instagram. Like, I was like, I'm acting on there.

• 26:08Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 26:09Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean?

• 26:09Speaker 01

  That's what I love about what you do, Kiki, because you, you've done stuff on a higher level, but you, you gonna always take, like, the chance to act wherever, whatever platform that is, and I could respect that. That's like, that's like on some athlete stuff, that's really like, yo, we going to the park and we just gonna get it. You know what I'm saying?

• 26:25Keke Palmer?

  No.

• 26:26Speaker 01

  I respect that. Like, that's fire. And I feel like I would see, like, aspiring actors like that. Like I said, in classes like that, and I would, I would have empathy for that because I'm like, man, I'm blessed enough to even have auditions weekly.

• 26:37Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 26:38Speaker 01

  See an audition. So I didn't call myself an actor for a minute. It wasn't until like my third class, like, I'm talking not like class within a class.

• 26:46Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 26:46Speaker 01

  My third acting class I switched to where I was like, okay, now I'm an actor.

• 26:50Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah. And the acting classes, like, what do they be, what do they have y'all doing up in there?

• 26:54Speaker 01

  Man, uh, when you're doing, uh, Meisner's, is that repetition?

• 26:59Keke Palmer?

  So what it do?

• 27:00Speaker 01

  Like if I, if you say something to me and, like, if I say, um, your shirt is white, and you be like, my shirt, my shirt is white. I'd be like, your shirt is white.

• 27:09Keke Palmer?

  Okay, and then you find different ways to say it. Okay, wait, let's go, okay.

• 27:13Speaker 01

  Let's do it.

• 27:14Keke Palmer?

  My shirt is white.

• 27:16Speaker 01

  Your shirt is white?

• 27:18Keke Palmer?

  My shirt is white.

• 27:20Speaker 01

  Your shirt is white?

• 27:22Keke Palmer?

  Shirt is white.

• 27:24Speaker 01

  Your shirt is white.

• 27:25Keke Palmer?

  My shirt is white.

• 27:28Speaker 01

  Your shirt is white.

• 27:30Keke Palmer?

  I'm **** with the miser of it all. So that's one of his main gags.

• 27:35Speaker 01

  Yes, that was, that was, that was what repetition was something like, we would do that in class and it would get super awkward sometimes.

• 27:41Keke Palmer?

  Cause yeah.

• 27:42Speaker 01

  Like, somebody will start off a question that's just crazy. Like, I remember I had on a Nike tech sweatsuit and this one girl was like, why are you dressed like an assassin? I wanted to say, I ain't.

• 27:53Speaker 01

  Then I had to respond, I was like, oh, Snow, like, what you mean? It's a Nike tech. Like, what you talking about? It just got really awkward in some classes, but.

• 27:59Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I always would think about what's going on, because in my mind, I know sometimes the classes, they'll have y'all going so deep and now you crying and you damn near need somebody to pick you up.

• 28:07Speaker 01

  No, like, it used to be therapy for real. I remember, like, that was one, I remember crying in one of my classes for the first time and, like, I was just sitting there like embarrassed after. But they, they loved it and everything, but they, it was like, no, that's beautiful that you felt vulnerable enough to even, like, to get to that place, but I was like, nah, I need to go see a therapist. That was crazy.

• 28:28Keke Palmer?

  And was it in the scene or was it an improv session?

• 28:30Speaker 01

  It was like a, um, it was like an improv session. It was like finding, it was like getting to that place.

• 28:35Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah, find that place. So you're thinking about a lot of different things.

• 28:38Speaker 01

  You just think about a lot.

• 28:39Keke Palmer?

  The crying thing is really, it's really a thing, right? Because when I was younger, I would honestly be thinking about the worst **** possible.

• 28:46Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 28:46Keke Palmer?

  You know, my mom was, cause I was a kid, so I didn't, I didn't have a lot of tools of, of experience to know how to cry from. You know what I mean? What would make me sad. And so it would be like. Something happened to your father.

• 28:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, like you had to take it there. Poor, poor young Kiki.

• 29:04Keke Palmer?

  I used my grandma so many times. When she passed, I was like, she's gone. Because it was so many times that I had to think about her being gone. It's actually kind of weird, like damn, but that was like the early years of me finding the ways of knowing how to cry. It wasn't until I became like, I remember Angela Bassett taught me a really good form that I didn't really settle in until my older years, where she really just helped me to connect to what my character was going through.

• 29:29Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:30Keke Palmer?

  To my own situation. So, okay, Dr. Larry B can't be for the B. Dr. Larry B in your life is your mom. If your mom can't take you to your auditions, how would that make you feel? Then it's like, it's more real as opposed to having to catastrophize everything.

• 29:42Speaker 01

  And you're already in impact too, so it's really just about finding what that feeling is. And just, you know what I'm saying? It go hand in hand and yeah. And I feel like that's a more healthier way.

• 29:50Keke Palmer?

  Way more. You're just, I was like emotionally self, I'm at nine, like, somebody died.

• 29:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 29:58Speaker 01

  That's crazy. Nine is so young.

• 30:00Keke Palmer?

  It was so much. I was literally on that. Okay, you were straight out of Compton. That must have been crazy getting the call that you made into that movie. I mean, cultural impact, this is black history, this is American history. What would you think?

• 30:21Keke Palmer?

  You know your girl loves to travel. Some of my favorite trips have been with my fam to far off places like Rome. But this spring, we're eyeing a more local spot like South Carolina because our non-negotiables are delicious food and a beach where we can have fun but also get some much-needed R and R. And when I'm planning where we're gonna stay, I'm not only thinking about logistics like, where is everyone going to sleep? But also, how can I really experience the place I'm visiting? That's why I book a stay on Airbnb for family trips. We get to stay in neighborhoods where locals actually live and really connect with the city through authentic experiences. Plus, everyone can spread out with separate bedrooms. Like, my son's bedtime doesn't have to be my bedtime.

• 31:07Keke Palmer?

  Got a real kitchen to cook some meals together if we end up staying in. It's also way more cost effective than booking multiple hotel rooms. We all get our own space, but still come together to create those genuine memories. For that kind of trip, hotels just don't give us what we need. Find a home for your next family adventure on Airbnb. You know what I love? When people show up with genuine intentions, especially when it comes to dating. My girls and I were just talking about how the best connections happen when someone puts in real effort from the jump. And Bumble is definitely on to something because they're making it easy to find people who really want to get to know

• 31:51Keke Palmer?

  and date the real you from the beginning through features like Bumble compliments. Someone can show genuine interest in something on your profile, like your love of cooking or that cute hiking photo. I see you boo. All before you even match. That kind of meaningful connection changes the whole vibe. That's why it's the dating app my girlfriends use and trust. And let's talk about safety because that matters. Bumble has photo verification and ID verification built right in. You can be at ease knowing the person you're chatting with is actually who they say they are. That peace of mind, it's a non-negotiable. Ready to connect with people who bring the same energy as you? Download Bumble now.

• 32:37Speaker 01

  It was actually my old acting coach who passed away, Dustin Felder.

• 32:40Keke Palmer?

  Oh, shout out to Dustin Felder.

• 32:41Speaker 01

  Dustin Felder was the one who told me I booked the job before he was supposed to tell me.

• 32:45Keke Palmer?

  Oh.

• 32:46Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 32:46Keke Palmer?

  Oh my, because he just knew he was the inside.

• 32:48Speaker 01

  He knew and like, because he was the acting coach. No, well, he knew he was the inside because he was the acting coach on set too.

• 32:54Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 32:54Speaker 01

  And so he told me he wasn't supposed to tell me and I was like, bro, it's no way I just booked this. But what's so funny is when I auditioned for Straight Outta Compton, it was a self-tape that I did in Milan after a Calvin Klein show.

• 33:05Keke Palmer?

  Come on. Yes, Keith.

• 33:08Speaker 01

  I had my.

• 33:11Speaker 01

  You know, they used to put us, they used to put us, I'm looking at the camera, they used to put models in one room. Like four models with the roll in beds.

• 33:20Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 33:21Speaker 01

  One model I became friends with, I said, yo, bro, I need you to read this audition for me. White dude, I forgot where he was from. He had to read the Stradecomps audition for me, right? Mind you, you know, the, the lines get to a part, you gotta say the N word.

• 33:38Speaker 01

  He said, uh, keep, I said, yeah, now you ain't gotta say all that, just skip, skip over that and just keep it going. And everything's gonna be good, but we did it. It was great, but that's how I end up, I got a call to come in to read for, um, Edgar Gray.

• 33:52Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 33:53Speaker 01

  But that was, it was just so funny to be on that grind of like doing it in Milan. Then reading for Edgar Gray and then my acting coach spilling the beans on accident. It was just a crazy process, but it was lovely.

• 34:04Keke Palmer?

  I mean, you played Dr. Dre's brother.

• 34:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:07Keke Palmer?

  Your middle name's Tyree, character name's Tyree.

• 34:09Speaker 01

  My older brother's name is Tyree too, actually.

• 34:12Keke Palmer?

  That's crazy.

• 34:13Speaker 01

  That's insane.

• 34:13Keke Palmer?

  Tyree's up in here.

• 34:14Speaker 01

  Tyree is crazy. Tyree is so specific too.

• 34:17Keke Palmer?

  It's so black.

• 34:18Speaker 01

  It is, it's very.

• 34:20Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean, it's almost like Tyree. Since then, since that, no. Um, so. Cause why did I go there? Y'all just stole my mind. That's what my mind be doing. It's crazy.

• 34:31Speaker 01

  We love it.

• 34:32Keke Palmer?

  So what was it like on the set? Like, was y'all laughing, was y'all all serious as hell?

• 34:36Speaker 01

  I was serious, cause I didn't wanna get fired. But everybody else was like laughing and joking and like, everybody was really cool though, like Corey Hawkins.

• 34:43Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh.

• 34:44Speaker 01

  Real, that's being like locked in, but he also had a lot of fun. Jason had a lot of fun. O'Shea had, it was O'Shea's first job.

• 34:52Keke Palmer?

  Can you imagine? O'Shea, I'm doing my dad, I'm being my dad.

• 34:56Speaker 01

  I know, that's crazy. And he was killing it, like, he was super cool. I feel like O'Shea, he was the most relatable for me because, I mean, he just played video games, loved sports. And then Aldous Hodge, I love Aldous.

• 35:08Keke Palmer?

  I love Aldous.

• 35:09Speaker 01

  Man.

• 35:09Keke Palmer?

  Shout out to him, he's got a great show out on there.

• 35:11Speaker 01

  That's where I met Aldous, um, Nate. It was just, it was a great set and then like, but people would visit that set where it was like, yo, this is a regular day on set and people just pulling up. I remember like Steve Nash pulled up one time, I'm like, what?

• 35:25Keke Palmer?

  How y'all even know him?

• 35:26Speaker 01

  I'm like, yeah.

• 35:27Keke Palmer?

  Hip hop.

• 35:28Speaker 01

  Yeah, hip hop, snoo would pull, everyone would just pull up. And I was just, I was like, this is crazy, but at the same time, I was like, okay. This is real, like, this movie is go, like, it's a lot being put into this film and I can't get fired.

• 35:42Keke Palmer?

  And being so close to the people and the history of it, I think one thing we think, we, we, like, when I think about hip hop, I think about like rock and roll, like, this might as well have been like a movie about Guns N' Roses. Like, this is like literally the beginning of what became one of the biggest things in pop culture. So see, like, did it click, like, did you, was you pinch yourself, like, damn, like, I'm really, you know, like, this is that history.

• 36:03Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think it was the premiere.

• 36:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 36:06Speaker 01

  Even though it hadn't come out yet, I think the premier is with, first of all, that theater was huge, I forgot exactly what theater we were at.

• 36:12Keke Palmer?

  Chinese man's.

• 36:12Speaker 01

  Was it? Oh, I can't remember, I can't remember, but it was a lot of people there. It was a lot of people and I remember just like my part coming up and the theater was laughing. And I was like, yo, but I just felt like the whole time people were loving the film and I, in my head, I'm like, whoa, this is, I, I think I, I'm a part of history with this one, even, this little small part, like, just to be in it. Cause I'm gonna watch it anyway, so the fact you get to watch yourself.

• 36:36Keke Palmer?

  See, oh, there.

• 36:36Speaker 01

  Yeah, like, what? I was a juice, so.

• 36:39Keke Palmer?

  And you've done it like twice, I mean, like, the new edition movie.

• 36:42Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 36:43Keke Palmer?

  That was crazy, big moment in culture, I mean, you play Ronnie DeVoe, like, tell me what that experience was like and the process of getting that role.

• 36:51Speaker 01

  That process was crazy, I'm not gonna lie, I was the last person to be cast and I had to learn how to, I don't, I don't dance, like. Like, I really don't dance, so I had to do, I had to, I had to learn like six, uh, routines.

• 37:03Keke Palmer?

  That's all them, they was doing was dancing.

• 37:05Speaker 01

  That's all, I had to, I had to learn that in two weeks.

• 37:08Keke Palmer?

  Wow.

• 37:08Speaker 01

  And everyone was already cast, like, everyone was set, I was the last person, so. I was going into these rehearsals really stressed out, I remember like having dreams about the dance moves. I would wake up, like, kinda like moving my arms, like, they just.

• 37:23Keke Palmer?

  This feels very Virgo.

• 37:25Speaker 01

  No.

• 37:25Keke Palmer?

  I know that you're Leo, but like, this is like me, I'm doing bone of my head.

• 37:30Speaker 01

  Yes, I was like going through it and Woody helped me, Woody McClain helped me, he came, yeah, shout out Woody, Woody came over, he showed me some moves, he really helped me, and then like, we went to do the audition. And I was like, bro, I'm not about to book this. Like, I was like, this is, I can't, these moves are crazy, but I, I got through it. Um, they ended up telling me last that I booked it. Everybody from BET, my castmates came out, clapped and everything, but that process was like really stressful for me because I do not do choreography.

• 37:58Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 37:59Speaker 01

  And I was just like,

• 38:01Speaker 01

  I was like, I couldn't even think about the acting at first. I was like, how am I gonna get through these dance moves?

• 38:05Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 38:06Speaker 01

  It was like, it was one of those things where it was like, you know, you go through that for a reason.

• 38:10Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 38:11Speaker 01

  You look back and now I'm proud of it, like, that was dope.

• 38:12Keke Palmer?

  You know what I just thought about? Breachir was in there.

• 38:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 38:15Keke Palmer?

  Had you ever spoke to him again? I know he going through a lot. Did you guys ever speak again? I've been seeing him in ages.

• 38:19Speaker 01

  I haven't spoken to Breachir in a minute, I'm not gonna lie, but I, I, I mean, yeah, the last time was really during that time.

• 38:25Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 38:26Speaker 01

  And that was, that was crazy. Yeah, it was all of it. Even like, even the younger, like Caleb and everybody and Miles Truitt.

• 38:33Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh, yes.

• 38:34Speaker 01

  Like Jahi, it was just like, we had such a cast.

• 38:38Keke Palmer?

  Westin, yes, I love Jahi.

• 38:40Speaker 01

  Our cast is insane, like, but yeah.

• 38:43Keke Palmer?

  It's so good. I mean, doing those films, what did you take away on making sure that you're telling black story with honesty? And then obviously the integrity.

• 38:52Speaker 01

  I learned that it's important, obviously, and it's like, but also learned that it could be like kinda difficult because everyone also has their own point of view about what happened at that time.

• 39:03Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 39:03Speaker 01

  So it's like you have to find a middle ground. You got all the members who are alive today, who I love so much, Bobby, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ronnie, everybody like.

• 39:12Keke Palmer?

  Ricky and Mike, yes.

• 39:14Speaker 01

  I, I loved them so much and they were so like, cooperative of like making sure the story was right. And even if they disagreed on some things, they figured it out. That's why,

• 39:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 39:23Speaker 01

  That's why they still able to tour today. Everything that they been through, it's crazy how they could go do solo projects and then come back together, still do a new addition project and go back. So it's like they a family though. Brooke Payne instilled that. And I feel like doing a biopic. About them, it's easy for them to come in and be like, oh no, this is what I remember, this is what I remember. And that's their truth. You can't say that they, but then how do we, how do you put that in TV form, film form? You know what I'm saying? In the script? And still keep the integrity and stuff. And it's tough, but. I mean, kudos to New Edition for just like being there and making sure it was on point and not. Bumping heads to the point where we couldn't get stuff in the film that. Makes the, or the series that makes the series what it is today.

• 40:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I mean, you guys did an incredible job, but it can be a lot playing iconic people.

• 40:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, definitely.

• 40:11Keke Palmer?

  Even when I remember when I did TLC, when we got casted, everybody on Twitter was like, and why would you?

• 40:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:16Keke Palmer?

  But then when the movie came out, they were like, we love, you know, we love the movie. I have people to this day, but it can be. You know, when you're playing somebody that everybody loves, it's like you gotta really.

• 40:26Speaker 01

  When I first cast and picture dropped, people was roasting. I remember, I was like, dang, they don't think we. I was like, give us a chance. Like, but that was when I was younger too. So I'm like. Hey, we, we ain't showed you nothing yet. Y'all ain't get to see the wigs and nothing yet. This was before they seen the wigs, they was already.

• 40:42Keke Palmer?

  Cause it'd be like that. But it's really, it, it always ends up churning out and you guys did a, a great job with that. Now, when you did your Teen Vogue New Hollywood cover, you said, I'm built for this now. I'm ready for it. I'm curious of what? What that, what clicked for you where you said? You know what? I'm ready for success because success is a lot.

• 41:00Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 41:00Keke Palmer?

  You know, when, whether it's fame, you know, more visibility, more money, access. It can be a lot for somebody to handle.

• 41:08Speaker 01

  I think it's just me just understanding. I, I like to say this thing of I'm confident in who I'm not.

• 41:14Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 41:15Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? Like I, I don't, I'm confident knowing that I don't have to be something. You know what I'm saying? I, I know, I know exactly who I am. So. Coming into the industry was always about finding validation in any way possible. Just to feel accepted and keep working. It was just like. I'm not gonna do nothing to like. You know.

• 41:35Keke Palmer?

  Your integrity.

• 41:35Speaker 01

  Go against my integrity and nothing like that. But it was just still like. I just wasn't confident in anything that I was doing, you know? And it took time for me to. You, you know what you gotta go? You gotta go through like. Booking something and thinking it's gonna be like. The marvel of everything, right? And it's just gonna change your life forever. And you gotta go through hitting that wall. And then feeling like dang what happened but then realizing like the gift was in doing it and meeting the people. You know what I'm saying?

• 42:04Keke Palmer?

  And what you just said is I really hope people really take that in because nobody remembers Oprah Winfrey and says that one episode.

• 42:11Speaker 01

  Yes, no fact.

• 42:11Keke Palmer?

  We don't even think of, because you know what, it was a collection of moments.

• 42:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 42:15Keke Palmer?

  It was so many episodes, it was so many, you know, critical moments in anybody's career that we can imagine. And when Fresh Prince of Bel Air came out, people loved the show, it was a popular show, but that ain't the only thing you think about when we think about why we love Will Smith. That's one of the moments where we fell in love with him. And I do think as young entertainers, like we've gotta remember that and we've gotta tell each other that and that's gotta be the thing that people understand because there is not gonna be one job that changes your life.

• 42:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's not.

• 42:41Keke Palmer?

  There's gonna be continuity in what you do and what you bring to every project that people are gonna start identifying you as.

• 42:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 42:48Keke Palmer?

  And so what I'm hearing you say too is just like the process of finding what my brand is.

• 42:52Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 42:52Keke Palmer?

  You came into the game, you're a model.

• 42:54Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 42:54Keke Palmer?

  Number one. You know, so it's like, that was not a training ground for this. And then now I'm playing these different people where now I'm jumping into being, performing this person. And so now you feel like you know what your voice is.

• 43:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, and I feel confident in it now. It's just like, okay, if that's not where I'm at right now, that's fine. It might come back around later, you know what I'm saying? I know who I am right now, how do I service myself? How do I become serviceable now? Rather than trying to be something I'm not and stressing out that, ah, I can't get, you know what I'm saying? It's like, and then I just enjoy it more.

• 43:26Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 43:26Speaker 01

  Like sitting here talking with you, I enjoy it. I don't feel pressure of like, oh, I gotta say this or anything. It's like, nah, Kiki the homie, we chilling, we talking. Like it's cool, you know what I'm saying? Like

• 43:35Keke Palmer?

  For sure.

• 43:36Speaker 01

  Sometimes I felt like the stakes was too high in the wrong places when I first was starting. And I'm just like, now I'm able to enjoy it and understand like, I'm always work hard and push myself, but I'm not going like. It's gonna be what it is and I'ma keep it pushing. Like, I'm not about to sit here and like, stress over it to the point where it stops me from moving forward and becoming jaded. That's like the scariest thing in this industry and it's easy to become jaded in this industry.

• 43:59Keke Palmer?

  It's also faith, too, that I'm hearing what you're saying. Having faith, what's mine is mine.

• 44:03Speaker 01

  No facts.

• 44:03Keke Palmer?

  Can't nobody take it away. I believe that God has a spot for me. Period, full stop. And that's, that's saved us from a lot of, a lot of stress. Um, during the strike a couple of years back, you said it was a challenging time, but it opened my eyes and changed my whole perspective of the energy, in industry for good and bad. What did you take away? Cause I mean, it was a tough time.

• 44:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, it was a tough time, but it also showed me like, you do have to like prioritize things outside the industry as well. With your loved ones, but then it's also like your hobbies and stuff, too. That's why I love that you, you do so much and that's fire, but it's also too, because you just, you're an artist, you know what I'm saying? And it's, it's, you're an artist in every aspect and you gotta find that within yourself. Like, I would just be like, I'm an actor and that's it.

• 44:45Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 44:46Speaker 01

  And I would also be scared to be anything outside of that. But the strike taught me like, yo, they could just, if they take the business away, what do you have? And then it's also like, you gotta remember this is an art form and it's different from the business.

• 44:56Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 44:57Speaker 01

  How do you still find the art within your community and still be able to express yourself as an, as an actor?

• 45:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 45:03Speaker 01

  While this is going on, but then it also showed like, my mom and dad used to always be like, you need to have a plan B. I was like, no, I don't, like, what? Plan A, like, why would you tell me to have a plan B? But now I see why, stuff like this happen, you do need to have a.

• 45:17Keke Palmer?

  You really do, or just some other ways, some other ways that you can diversify your portfolio.

• 45:21Speaker 01

  Exactly, exactly. It could be part of your plan A. It's like, plan A B. You know what I'm saying? Like, don't, you don't have to plan for failure, but you do have to plan for these pivots. And I feel like, that's what it taught me, you know, and it also showed me just how like, it made me really grateful for like, crew members and stuff.

• 45:39Keke Palmer?

  Come on.

• 45:40Speaker 01

  Being on set, around your crew, your craft person.

• 45:44Keke Palmer?

  The crew is my favorite folks. I love the actors, you know?

• 45:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, but the crew? The crews would get you to set.

• 45:51Keke Palmer?

  What up, my homeboy King Griff? What's up, Electric? What up, Crafty? Can I get a sandwich?

• 45:56Speaker 01

  Crafty is always my favorite.

• 45:57Keke Palmer?

  Crafty is, we be eating too much.

• 45:58Speaker 01

  By, by week two, I got the usual.

• 46:00Keke Palmer?

  And baby in Atlanta?

• 46:01Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 46:02Keke Palmer?

  The Atlanta Crafty?

• 46:03Speaker 01

  I don't wanna talk about it.

• 46:04Keke Palmer?

  They be going in.

• 46:06Speaker 01

  Nah, facts. It's crazy.

• 46:07Keke Palmer?

  I used to love being on Star, their food was good.

• 46:09Speaker 01

  Oh, you know, Star was, no, Star has so. I used to visit

• 46:13Keke Palmer?

  Girl.

• 46:14Speaker 01

  Literally and hit lunch during my visit, cuz I knew the food was gonna be crazy.

• 46:18Keke Palmer?

  Yes, the food is crazy. Um, okay. This gagged me, you and Gabrielle Union.

• 46:24Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 46:25Keke Palmer?

  You must have been, I mean, we grew up, Gabrielle Union is like the quintessential it girl. You know what I'm saying? Now you're playing her love interest in Perfect Fine. I remember when I saw that, I was like, Keith, is you ready?

• 46:34Speaker 01

  No, right, no, I said, I asked the same thing in my.

• 46:38Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh. So what was it like? I mean, you get this movie, you're doing this thing, and, and, and this is like a romance, like, are you comfortable in rom- I'm very awkward with romances. I've never really done many of them.

• 46:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 46:49Keke Palmer?

  You know, so it's really like, mm-hmm. So like, how did you feel going into this romance?

• 46:55Speaker 01

  I feel like I was like, I mean, I'm opposite of Gabrielle Union.

• 46:59Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 46:59Speaker 01

  So, and I feel like I got like a real boyish look, I'm gonna be real. So I was like, yo.

• 47:04Keke Palmer?

  There's nothing wrong with that.

• 47:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was just like, yo, this is gonna be tough, like, I gotta, I gotta match her energy, you know what I'm saying? And it was just about, like, me understanding that I was there for a reason. That's when I was running into that imposter syndrome a lot, too. Gabby always made me feel like I was where I was supposed to be, too. She never, like, looked down on me or anything. Gabby is so fun, like, she's so chill.

• 47:26Keke Palmer?

  Her and Dwayne, they both really cool to be around.

• 47:28Speaker 01

  I really love them, and she like, she made it fun and, and, and, and I didn't stress too much about like how I looked across from her on screen, it was just really about being truthful in the moments.

• 47:40Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 47:41Speaker 01

  And that made it easy, too. Numa, our director, Numa Peria, she really made it very easy for us to just live in the space on set and have fun and play. And I think that that, that really helped me, you know what I'm saying? And that was one of the first sets where I really felt like I just let go and just didn't think too much, you know? And that's the, that's the beauty about doing a rom-com.

• 48:01Keke Palmer?

  Oh.

• 48:01Speaker 01

  It's like, you really get to play and have fun.

• 48:05Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, cuz I need that funny.

• 48:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:06Keke Palmer?

  I need that funny. I'm not about to give you the Titanic hand on a window steaming.

• 48:11Speaker 01

  You can do both, though.

• 48:12Keke Palmer?

  That would piss me off, Keith. I don't know, I don't know why I'm like that, you know, maybe it's like, I got, you know, I don't know, look, if, if, if Gina Prince Blythwood said, we're doing something like Love and Basketball, and it's Lovers in the City, and then I'm gonna pull up. You know what I mean? I'm gonna do what it takes.

• 48:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:28Keke Palmer?

  But I'm going to be nervous. I'm gonna have to go to that guy and be like, look, dude, we got to make out today. Because I cannot.

• 48:35Speaker 01

  We gotta break the ice.

• 48:36Keke Palmer?

  We gotta break the ice.

• 48:37Speaker 01

  You don't wanna go first date and it is the.

• 48:39Keke Palmer?

  It looks stupid. No tongue tongue. How far are we going? I gotta get into it.

• 48:44Speaker 01

  No facts.

• 48:45Keke Palmer?

  Because that's so, you don't wanna offend anyone. It's just so much to think about, so.

• 48:49Speaker 01

  Shout out to intimacy coordinators for real. That's like, one of the best things a sex could ever have. Like, you really create like a routine out of the kissing, sex scenes, all that. Like, the intimate scenes in general, you just really create like a routine. You understand where everybody comfortable with. That mediator is like, nah, that's like, that's, that's the one.

• 49:09Keke Palmer?

  I'm just thought about a choreographed moan.

• 49:12Speaker 01

  No, you know, facts. No, but that's how it go. Like, she'll literally let you know, like, you know, in this moment, if you wanna do a little something near, you can, everything, are you cool with that?

• 49:21Keke Palmer?

  I love that you can.

• 49:21Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is like, okay, okay, cool. That, that really helps because ain't nothing worse than getting on a set and you just kinda like.

• 49:26Keke Palmer?

  You know what I'm saying?

• 49:27Speaker 01

  That first take, like, what we doing?

• 49:29Keke Palmer?

  It's so weird.

• 49:37Keke Palmer?

  Y'all, I have questions about everything. What should I cook tonight? Is it jacket weather or am I overthinking this? Should I take that opportunity? And I've been using Claude. It's changed how I make decisions. Because here's the thing, most AI just gives you information and that's it. Claude actually helps you decide, think things through fully and take action. Like, when I'm prepping for guests or trying to figure out whether something I read is legit. I'll go back and forth with Claude and it won't just hand me some surface level answer. It pushes back and asks me what I mean. It treats the question like it deserves more than 30 seconds.

• 50:18Keke Palmer?

  I also love that you can now connect your health data to Claude through Apple Health. And when I'm trying to figure out if my sleep is off, Claude helps me see the patterns. Try Claude for free at claude.ai/Keke Palmer and see why problem solvers choose Claude as their thinking partner.

• 50:39Keke Palmer?

  You've mentioned mentorship being a big part of your life. Who are some people behind the scenes that have supported you in your career? And even if you don't know the name, you know, name it down to be celebrities.

• 50:49Speaker 01

  It's really like, it's Dustin Felder for sure. My first acting coach, Dustin Felder was super mentor. I mean, he the one, I think he the reason that I kept acting. Cause I was like, it was just tough at first and he had a class that was majority people of color. Black, black people, a lot of people of color, like a lot of black and brown people. And we really just would bring a scene to set and just play. And it was a lot of us in those classes, like it was a lot of us. And I think he was like my first mentor, cause he used to just tell me like, he was like, it's gonna click for you Keith. When you bring whatever you have off, bring that on set. He was like, you need to bring that to your character. Once you do that, it's gonna click.

• 51:30Speaker 01

  And he just really always helped me when I had questions about just different roles and what I should be doing. He always just tell me to live in the moment and not really stress about like what to do next. And just like, bro, just work and get that experience being on set and stuff. And I think that was very important, cause you wanna get, you wanna start off and then start being like picky about moves when you first start off. If you, if you're able to start off and your first thing hit like that and you're able to play that type of game, that's beautiful. Sometimes you just gotta get out there. You gotta get in the field and just, you know what I'm saying? Get those reps in. I, I would say he was my closest thing to a mentor in this industry for sure. Besides like my family, my manager, my team, you know what I'm saying? It was like Dustin Felder. He, he was, rest in peace Dustin. I miss him so much.

• 52:15Speaker 01

  He, he was like my true mentor for sure.

• 52:17Keke Palmer?

  I really love that. Shout out to him, you know, and the impact he made on your life. I mean, you are a leading man, you know? How does it feel settling into, you know, that vibe? And, and how does it also? Help, because this is the thing, once we've been labeled as something, it can sometimes make us overthink the roles we take or the roles we do. So how are you taking on being, you know, being seen as that without letting it stop your creativity?

• 52:41Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think, I think like lead man, I think now we live in such a time that's like, we see so many different type of people. It's a progressive time, it's an inclusive time, even though they're trying to, you know, uh, stop that and like, and like take away, um, you know, just seeing that diversity. I think that's what helps me understand that I'm able to be a leading man is seeing the different types of leading men. I think that really helps for me because

• 53:08Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 53:08Speaker 01

  I just feel like I've always like dealt with like confidence issues and stuff growing up. And even though people I felt like would gravitate towards me just on some natural like, yo, you cool? I just always felt like for some reason, I'm like, you think so? Like, but like, ah, like I, I just-

• 53:21Keke Palmer?

  I've always felt that about you everywhere. They always like, Keith is so awesome, he's so cool. I literally, every friend, they'd be like, you're the guy's guy.

• 53:28Speaker 01

  That's dope.

• 53:29Keke Palmer?

  I love that.

• 53:30Speaker 01

  I love that too. Like that's, and I, and I'm like, okay, what it, what do I have naturally that people gravitate towards that can be leading man? Whatever that is, you know what I'm saying? And that's why even sometimes I wear glasses, I got my contacts on. I'll be like, man, I need to wear my glasses more like some of this shit.

• 53:44Keke Palmer?

  Come on, I love glasses. Get you a glasses deal.

• 53:47Speaker 01

  And I'm like, I need that to be part of my leading man vibe is, because that's me, you know what I'm saying? And it's really the times of like seeing different types of leading men help me even more. Even if someone may look at me as like a prototype lead man, I feel like, because sometimes my confidence wasn't always there, I would feel like, or sometimes I feel like, I wouldn't bring my goofiness to my role.

• 54:09Keke Palmer?

  Come on, because we need that.

• 54:11Speaker 01

  We need that. And I don't know how, I don't know how I wouldn't bring, knowing Will Smith and growing up and seeing freshmen, how, like what?

• 54:17Keke Palmer?

  Because I think that the world tries to tell you guys, by you guys, I mean, male actors that want to be leading men and then black guys that, that, that, that silly that, you know, you shouldn't be, but it's like, it's opposite. Women love men with sense of humor. That's why we love the Will Smiths, that's why we love the Martin Luther, that's why we love the Jamie Foxxes. Because they're funny. And so when, when you guys do let that off, it's, it's really, it's what we're missing, kind of. We don't see a lot of it. It's always very serious, very buttoned up, very, I'm saving the world.

• 54:43Speaker 01

  No, for sure.

• 54:44Keke Palmer?

  And it's like, I would love for you to save the world with joy.

• 54:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, facts. Yeah, I think, I think like just the different, the times that we're in also helps too because I'm just like, oh, okay, nah. I could live in this space and be my own version of a lead man and like, make a, make a stand.

• 54:59Keke Palmer?

  I like the, um, it was kind of comedy, you know, but commentary, the one you did with Avin, Avin Jogia.

• 55:05Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, at Door Mouth.

• 55:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, Door Mouth. I thought it was a very cool, interesting tone. And it showed a little bit quirkiness from you as an actor.

• 55:11Speaker 01

  That was fun. Yeah, that was, I played, I really like, I really enjoyed doing that and Avin, Avin really set the stage. Yeah, shout out to Avin. Um, he really set the stage and just allowed me to like, live in it and like, play with my body more in ways that I, you know what I'm saying? The way I stand and stuff, yeah.

• 55:28Keke Palmer?

  I watched the whole thing. I was like, what is this? I was like, what is Keith doing? This isn't his usual juge.

• 55:32Speaker 01

  I had the locks and everything like, oh, what's going on?

• 55:35Keke Palmer?

  Very cool.

• 55:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, that was fun. Yeah.

• 55:37Keke Palmer?

  Um, you celebrated one year alcohol free this January. And this has been a big thing that you've been talking about. And then as somebody, I mean, I know I'm not your best friend, but I've known you for years. I ain't, I don't, I never saw you really drinking crazy or anything like that. And so I thought it was very interesting, you taking this stance and really making it a big thing, especially because it doesn't come from you having had a, a problem in particular. You know what I mean? Um, so yeah, so what made you want to be vocal about that? And congratulations.

• 56:03Speaker 01

  Thank you so much. No, I think really it was just like, the feeling of like, I have a lot of social anxiety in certain places within the industry. Going to certain parties and knowing that you have to talk to a lot of people. And then having, having those moments, I don't know if you have this moment, and you probably do, where it's like, what if I run out of things to talk about and we just sitting there?

• 56:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's why my ass ends up being mean because I'm like, oh, yeah. It's because I'm anxious. Like, people think I'm just being, she knows what to say. No, I'm, I'm word vomiting.

• 56:31Speaker 01

  No, and that's.

• 56:32Keke Palmer?

  This is so weird.

• 56:33Speaker 01

  Yes. And I think in spaces, what happens is you become a social drinker. Then I started depending on it. It's like, I started like, I would like take, to be full transparent, I would like take a shot before going on a carpet.

• 56:45Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 56:45Speaker 01

  And that's when I knew, I was like, wait, what am I doing?

• 56:48Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 56:48Speaker 01

  Like to ta- like, that's kind of crazy. And then it just led from that and then hearing other people's stories. I didn't realize a lot of actors are sober, like a hundred percent. And I would, I would just see a lot of interviews. I think one of the latest ones was Tom Holland. He was talking about his sobriety like journey and just because it was just so normal to have a beer.

• 57:05Keke Palmer?

  Especially being from England.

• 57:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, exactly. And he was like, he was like, man, like, you know, he had to take a break from that. And I was, I was just listening. I'm like, man, I kind of, I kind of like relate to that in a way where I just feel like it's easy for me to be like, yo, let me just pour up real quick. Let me, let me, you know, and that's cool. You know, and, and if you, if you drink in moderation, whatever, I'm not trying to tell nobody how to live their life or nothing like that. But I know for me, it was like, man, I don't like the idea that I'm dependent on this.

• 57:33Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 57:34Speaker 01

  So I was like, I'm gonna do thirty, Dry January. Dry January turned into, alright, I'm gonna move that Dry January to February. Then it turned into like, okay, seventy-five days I could do. Then it was like, I gotta go for the hundred. And I felt so, I've been feeling so good, like mentally, physically. When I got to that day hundred, I was like, I'm going the rest of the year. I feel way too good. And it's crazy, it, it kind of feels like I got like, myself back when I stopped drinking completely. Like, I feel like I could just, I could live in a space and then like be me and not worry like what people thinking. Uh, I'm gonna run to the, let's, let's get a drink at the bar so that like to loosen up a bit, none of that. I'm just like, I'm chilling, like.

• 58:16Keke Palmer?

  Sometimes we have to listen to our bodies when it's like something's just not working for us. You know, when we feel like it's keeping us from ourselves. And that could be in a number of things, whether it's alcohol or food. I remember I did a movie or TV show in Berlin and, you know, smoking out there is very casual. So then now I'm, now I'm on the nicotine.

• 58:32Speaker 01

  Yeah, no fact.

• 58:33Keke Palmer?

  Now my head is aching and now my, I don't know when I'm hungry no more. You know, like, and now it's like, this isn't working for me, you know, and so it happens. And as long as we keep checking in with ourselves, I think it's important. So I love that you shared that. Something else that really is amazing to me, which it's always been my dream to one day do is. Run a marathon and you just ran a marathon.

• 58:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, no, I didn't run a marathon.

• 58:53Keke Palmer?

  You didn't?

• 58:54Speaker 01

  No, not yet. I signed it for my first half. But I've been running a lot, though.

• 58:59Keke Palmer?

  So, so you want to run a marathon. I do too. How has the training been? I mean, I like to run, but as a woman, sometimes my hormones get out of whack from the running. I know that you can't relate. You know, that's always been my running and hang up with it, but I wanted to run a marathon. So what do you, you know, what made you want to do it?

• 59:16Speaker 01

  I don't know. I just, one day I was just like, I think that that that started from like being sober and having this sort of energy where I'm like, I want to start. I ran a track in high school and I was like, I want to run. I'm gonna go run because I've been seeing a lot of people getting into run, running and joining run clubs. And I was like, let me go run a mile. And that first one hurt. I was like, man, why did I just do this? Like, hold on, my win ain't what I thought it was. Then I did it again. I did it again. I just kept doing it. And you know, that's the beauty also about today. You find that community on TikTok or Instagram. Runner, you just look up and you hear all these stories and I just kept doing it and I realized how like, present I am when I run. And it's like, sort of like meditation where like when I'm running, I just feel like, I just get this time to just be with myself, breathe.

• 1:00:04Keke Palmer?

  Pilates. And I love how you also talked about the, you know, how, how taking something out of your life. Because this is the thing, what I think happens to us sometimes with consumption. We're in such a consumerism and we're always being told that we need something outside of us in order to feel comfortable with ourselves. And look, sometimes, you know, whatever it is, you might get into it every now and then. But a lot of times we think we need that and really what we need is to run.

• 1:00:33Keke Palmer?

  Do something that's going to allow us to be more in community. You know, for me was Pilates, going up every morning. Going to my class and seeing my girls and it's like, oh, girl, like, oh, I just got this coffee. I'm about to go over there. You coming with me? Like, that's actually what I wanted to feed me. Not this thing or this new whatever, but actually I wanted to be engaged with life deeper. And so it's so, I love how you brought that around to that because yeah, it's like, sometimes you just want to be out in the life, running and feeling the air, the wind beneath your wings.

• 1:01:00Speaker 01

  No, for real. That's, and that's, running is just for my mental health, honestly. It's really a hobby. Like I'm, I'm gonna do my first, first half marathon and I'm gonna do, um, you know, a full marathon. I gotta get there mentally for the full. I'm not quite there yet.

• 1:01:13Keke Palmer?

  Run the whole time or can you walk a little bit?

• 1:01:15Speaker 01

  You can do whatever you want. I run the whole time, but like, I tell people like, if you wanna stop, stop. Like, don't, don't be out there and stress yourself out. Like, do whatever. Yeah, yeah, no. It's, you learn, it's crazy. Every run is different. You learn a lot. I've definitely learned, like, running slow and taking my time. It's just like life. It's a great mantra in life. Like, take your time. You gonna win the race. It's your race to run. It's tunnel vision. You're not racing anyone else in the streets. You by yourself. You know, spend that time and, and, and take your time and, and breathe. Breathe and just realize you don't have to impress nobody. I never want something to become a chore. I feel like I gotta get validated from it too. That's the other thing. You can also get lost with that with these apps. Like, I love my Strava.

• 1:01:57Keke Palmer?

  Honey, my O-ring had me judging my sleep. It's like, girl, you supposed to be at rest.

• 1:02:01Speaker 01

  No, thanks though. Like, but yeah.

• 1:02:04Keke Palmer?

  Only two hours of REM. Um, okay. Let's get into the love of it all. Because congratulations to you and Ryan for getting engaged.

• 1:02:13Speaker 01

  Thank you so much.

• 1:02:14Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I got a big old wide picture of it. Yeah, I do.

• 1:02:16Speaker 01

  Oh, I love that.

• 1:02:17Keke Palmer?

  Cause get into it. They look very hot.

• 1:02:19Speaker 01

  Nah, that printout is fire.

• 1:02:20Keke Palmer?

  They're a very beautiful couple. And no, you can't have it, Keith. It's going up in my, in my room. It's for me. Um, congratulations.

• 1:02:27Speaker 01

  Thank you so much.

• 1:02:28Keke Palmer?

  I mean, I know you guys have been together forever. When did y'all, when did y'all meet? Did y'all meet in the industry?

• 1:02:33Speaker 01

  We did.

• 1:02:33Keke Palmer?

  Okay, okay.

• 1:02:34Speaker 01

  It's very industry the way we met. We met at a Teen Vogue party.

• 1:02:38Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 1:02:39Speaker 01

  In like 2015, like, but it's crazy. We both did like this, this African Awards show. I forgot what it was called.

• 1:02:46Keke Palmer?

  I love African Awards show.

• 1:02:47Speaker 01

  Right. It was so, it was so fire though. Like, it was so fun and it was downtown. And I remember, you know, that's when you would do PR. And you don't know what type of PR you're doing. You just show up.

• 1:02:57Keke Palmer?

  They told you to come.

• 1:02:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, and I pulled up. And I remember being backstage cause I had to present and she had to present as well. And I remember, this is crazy too, cause I remember sitting next to my cast, one of my castmates, one of my old castmates, and I was talking to him. And I looked to my right and I seen her fixing her hair. She had like a green dress on. And I was like, yo. And then he called me back to talk. And I looked, she wasn't there no more. And I was like, who was that? Like, like, you know what I'm saying?

• 1:03:21Keke Palmer?

  And she's so graceful. So I know how she touched that head. You know how she be.

• 1:03:26Speaker 01

  And then like, fast forward, I see her at the Teen Vogue party and I was just like, yo, who is that? And I was like, wait, that's, that's, that's her from the, from the award. So I, she was across the pool and I just went over there and introduced myself. And then I said bye to her and her mom. And then we reconnected on socials and we were just friends for like two years.

• 1:03:45Keke Palmer?

  Oh my god, and then obviously you introduced yourselves to us as a couple. But then there was a brief moment where you guys like, oh, maybe, I don't know when, I don't remember exactly what was even posted. But you guys were still together. So was it kind of like a way of to get people out y'all's business?

• 1:03:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, everybody, yeah, everybody always, I see people make up like narratives around that time and I don't mind talking about it. We just took a break, honestly.

• 1:04:06Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:04:06Speaker 01

  We took a break, um, we was having little issues within our relationship, just like.

• 1:04:11Keke Palmer?

  Anybody does.

• 1:04:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, it wasn't nothing crazy. We were just like, let's, let's take a break and we took a break. And during that break, we actually went to counseling as well.

• 1:04:20Keke Palmer?

  Independent or together?

• 1:04:21Speaker 01

  Together. And that was really, yeah, that was really, that was really helpful, like.

• 1:04:26Keke Palmer?

  I just love this. This is right.

• 1:04:29Speaker 01

  That was really helpful. I think like, um, that really opened my eyes to like a lot, just having someone like a mediator to like talk to you about things. And it was just something that I never really talked to, to any my, to any adults in my family about, in their marriage or anything. So I'd never, it was very new to me. But, uh, it worked out for the best. Like it helped us come back together, understand each other's side, you know what I'm saying? Understand, understand each other a little more. And, um, yeah, we ended up getting back together after that. But yeah, we took a break and it was needed and it was health, it was a healthy break. Like it was, it was a break within intention.

• 1:05:04Keke Palmer?

  Well, sometimes what can happen, I don't know that, that this is what happened with you guys. But sometimes what can happen in relationships is now we just a unit.

• 1:05:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:05:12Keke Palmer?

  You know, and it's like, I love that we're a unit, but it's like, I, I also miss me.

• 1:05:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, we talk about that a lot.

• 1:05:18Keke Palmer?

  You know, so I think, I don't know that that's what happened with you guys, but I know for me, a lot of times like, when I've had moments where it's like, let's take a break or let's try to find a, you know, deconfigure ourselves from being totally just us. So we can still be ourselves and us when we come back together, you know, kind of thing.

• 1:05:32Speaker 01

  Yeah, that, and me and Ryan talk about that a lot. We never want to lose our like individual.

• 1:05:37Keke Palmer?

  Yes, individuality.

• 1:05:38Speaker 01

  So, the individuality within our couple, like, we, we are a couple, but we also have our own dreams and we respect each other's dreams. You know what I'm saying? Like, I love the fact, I mean, Ryan is super talented and she been wanting to do this way longer than I have. I learned a lot from her, you know what I'm saying? And I never want her to, like, lose that because of me. You know, I don't ever want her to lose that fire. I'm gonna be behind you. I'm, I'm gonna have your back the whole way. So you ain't gotta worry about it. Just do you. And then vice versa. So, yeah, it's cool.

• 1:06:06Keke Palmer?

  So what lets you know, cause it's also, it's like a big jump to be like, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.

• 1:06:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:06:11Keke Palmer?

  And you, your parents are still together. They've been together so marriage, I'm sure your, your representation of it is like, you know, it's the long haul.

• 1:06:17Speaker 01

  No facts.

• 1:06:18Keke Palmer?

  So what made you say, now's the time?

• 1:06:21Speaker 01

  It was crazy, like, I.

• 1:06:23Keke Palmer?

  I've had this moment with a lot of girls on my show, but I don't know that I had it with Camila Cabello. So I'm like, so livin'.

• 1:06:29Speaker 01

  I think, like, I think I always wanted to get, like, I knew, once I fell in love with Ryan, I knew I wanted to marry her. And I guess, like, when, you always hear these stories about when it's the right time to do it. And, like, the right time is really when you set the intention and just do it.

• 1:06:46Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 1:06:46Speaker 01

  When you start ring shopping, you understand, like, you start listening to your partner about what she want, like, how she want her proposal and stuff. And I know I wanted to, I know I wanna be with her for the rest of my life. And I was just like, I was just like, man, like, after the break, and we got back together.

• 1:07:02Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 1:07:02Speaker 01

  I was like, I don't wanna waste no more time with Ryan being my girlfriend. I wanna, you know, I wanted to be my fiance and my wife. And I was just like, I started planning instantly because I was just like, getting through that meant so much to me. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I was like, and it's crazy, cause like, when I say, like, we were together for a minute before I, um, got engaged with Ryan. When I said, I'd be like, I like to make the joke to myself, like, man, I took a long time. But it wasn't because I wasn't, like, trying to put it off.

• 1:07:30Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 1:07:30Speaker 01

  It was like, I don't know, I just, I, I was, I was having so much fun. And me and Ryan are like, best friends. And like, she never put pressure on me to do it, but.

• 1:07:40Keke Palmer?

  Cause she already knew what was up.

• 1:07:41Speaker 01

  Yeah, once it hit where I was like, yo, hold on, what am I, I gotta do this. I gotta make it happen. It was quick. It wasn't no, you know what I'm saying?

• 1:07:47Keke Palmer?

  Did you tell your parents first?

• 1:07:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure.

• 1:07:49Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 1:07:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, all day. I told my parents and I was like, I told my parents, though, like, the second year of us being together. I'm like, and I remember telling my Uncle Kurtie that, um, rest in peace, my uncle. He was like, hey, you think Ryan the one? I'm like, yeah, nah, for sure. Like, that's the, I'm, I know for a hundred percent fact. And yeah, it's really like no timetable on it. I mean, I I wouldn't, I wouldn't advise you all to wait years. It's like, don't, I'm not saying that. Don't leave somebody just, you know, your partner just sitting there, you know, but do it when you know, is the right time for you and do it your way. I think that's what stopped a lot of people.

• 1:08:21Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:21Speaker 01

  And that's what I think growing up, thinking about, I always would think about getting engaged in a way that felt very highlight, really.

• 1:08:29Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:30Speaker 01

  You know, and not like a real like, do it your way, what makes you happy, how you could do it in that time, because that matters more than anything else.

• 1:08:37Keke Palmer?

  Mm hmm.

• 1:08:38Speaker 01

  You can get to all the logistics and stuff later. Just do it how you want to do it. I think sometimes we get lost in like the the glamorous side of it all.

• 1:08:45Keke Palmer?

  Absolutely, just the show.

• 1:08:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, and a lot of, I think a lot of people use that as an excuse to prolong it. You know what I'm saying? You ain't gotta do that. Just like, do it your way. And then make it happen.

• 1:08:54Keke Palmer?

  I could see y'all having a book. I'm ready for a little newlywed show. I live for y'all individually and I live for the unit. Like, I'm seeing all the IP that we can do. Call me as a producer.

• 1:09:08Keke Palmer?

  Okay, we have to talk about, you reunited with your new addition co-star, Algie Smith in The Gates.

• 1:09:14Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 1:09:14Keke Palmer?

  That trailer looks crazy.

• 1:09:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:09:16Keke Palmer?

  It's like, I mean, so this is a horror film.

• 1:09:19Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 1:09:19Keke Palmer?

  How are you feeling? Is this your first horror film?

• 1:09:21Speaker 01

  It's a thriller.

• 1:09:22Keke Palmer?

  Okay, is this your first kind of this kind of movie?

• 1:09:24Speaker 01

  It is my first kind of thriller. Yeah, it is, actually.

• 1:09:26Keke Palmer?

  It looks so good. I mean, you guys end up, oh, first of all, we gotta say, uh, rest in peace, James Vanderbeek, um, who passed away, but you guys got to work together before he passed, where he's kind of the villain in this movie and he's hunting y'all down.

• 1:09:40Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 1:09:40Keke Palmer?

  I mean, what was it like filming the movie?

• 1:09:42Speaker 01

  I mean, filming the movie was fun. We shot in Tulsa for eighteen days, all night shoots.

• 1:09:47Keke Palmer?

  Tulsa, that feels historical.

• 1:09:48Speaker 01

  Tulsa, Oklahoma, it was. Yeah, we went to the museum. Uh, we learned a lot about the, um, Black Wall Street riots, the Tulsa riots, um, and

• 1:09:58Keke Palmer?

  A lot of hunting down.

• 1:09:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, facts, facts. And we spent, uh, we spent a lot of time together. Me, Mason and Algie spent a lot of time together.

• 1:10:05Keke Palmer?

  Shout out to Mason, uh, Gooding.

• 1:10:07Speaker 01

  Yep, Mason. We, we spent a lot of time together. Offset and like we to stay on track with our sleeping, we used to stay up on the weekends. So then it can match our schedule going back into the week because all night shoots for eighteen days is intense.

• 1:10:23Keke Palmer?

  It makes your brain hurt. Like I did a horror movie one time called Animal and it was all night shoots as well. And it makes you just, your life is upside down.

• 1:10:31Speaker 01

  Literally upside down. It was crazy. And then I, of course, I met James on set. James was like amazing to be around like. I just really respected his POV on life.

• 1:10:42Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 1:10:43Speaker 01

  You know what I'm saying? Like, man, and that's why I'm like really gonna miss James even more and I. I wish, you know, I I just wanna pick his brain more and like just just. Be in his presence because he just really talked about his family in a way that really made me happy. And I'm at a point in my life too where I have I have this dream like we all do in this industry. But also I don't wanna lose sight of like my loved ones and what really matters.

• 1:11:06Keke Palmer?

  Amen.

• 1:11:07Speaker 01

  And to hear him talk about that and then what happened, it was just like. It hit me hard when I heard the news cuz I had no idea. You know, he he announced what he was dealing with after we were filming. I don't know what he was going through when we were filming. But when when I heard the news that he um transitioned, I was just like.

• 1:11:23Keke Palmer?

  I love the transition.

• 1:11:24Speaker 01

  Yeah, it hit me really hard because I was just like. I just remember him inviting us to his trailer one day at lunch and just talking to us about his family and how his kids, you know. Talking to us about like his kids, the idea of possibly wanting to act and stuff and. Him talking about, you know, being in a TV show, being on a TV show and, you know, his whole, yeah, his whole life like. You know, chasing, well, we all chase like that next job, that next job, that next job. And he was able to like. Really appreciate the now where he was at and what he had now. And I was just like. That's literally something I'm dealing with today of just like. Understanding like, yeah, I'm always have my goal, but if I don't appreciate where I'm at now, what I have around me.

• 1:12:05Speaker 01

  It ain't gonna matter if I get there cuz I'm I'ma get there and then I'ma, it's like the movie Soul.

• 1:12:10Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, it's a really good movie.

• 1:12:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:12:12Keke Palmer?

  Shout out to Jimmy Fox.

• 1:12:13Speaker 01

  Shout out Jimmy Fox. Yeah, that's JV. He got to that point where he finally performed and he was like, man, this ain't what I thought. It was gonna be and he stepped outside and he realized. Oh, it was always here the whole time, you know what I'm saying? Everything that I wanted. And I felt like that's where. James was, you know, and I really respected that about him.

• 1:12:30Keke Palmer?

  It's important that he shared that with young men like yourselves.

• 1:12:32Speaker 01

  And he was a beast on set too and like. He was playing like this.

• 1:12:36Keke Palmer?

  Really crazy guy.

• 1:12:37Speaker 01

  He was playing an evil pastor, so like.

• 1:12:39Keke Palmer?

  I didn't even know the pastor part.

• 1:12:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:12:41Keke Palmer?

  That's wicked.

• 1:12:42Speaker 01

  Like, his, man, his, his, and for him to.

• 1:12:44Keke Palmer?

  No Cynthia, I'm kidding.

• 1:12:45Speaker 01

  No.

• 1:12:46Keke Palmer?

  I don't know why I have to do this stuff.

• 1:12:49Speaker 01

  For him to, for him to do that and then be who he was off say, it was just like, to see him so present in the work, you know, regardless, our movie, you could say it's a small movie, but he didn't treat it like that. You know what I'm saying? And he treated it with so much like just respect and just intention. And I, I really appreciate it about him and I wish, you know, I had more time with him, of course, but.

• 1:13:11Keke Palmer?

  He changed how I thought completely about New Year's resolutions. He randomly did a post.

• 1:13:16Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:13:16Keke Palmer?

  At the beginning of the year and he was like, you know, everybody's talking about, you know, but why would we do New Year's resolutions at the top of January? When things are dying and taking a break and hibernation and birds are flying? He's like, we should do it in spring, when things are growing again. I love that now, now I'm throwing a New Year's resolution party in the spring.

• 1:13:33Speaker 01

  That's crazy.

• 1:13:34Keke Palmer?

  Because I'm like, yeah, let's set our intentions for all the girls.

• 1:13:38Speaker 01

  No, that was actually a really dope POV of doing resolutions.

• 1:13:40Keke Palmer?

  I love it because why wouldn't we do it when we ready to blossom?

• 1:13:43Speaker 01

  We'd be stressed out after Christmas.

• 1:13:44Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Like, and now we gotta think about resolutions?

• 1:13:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, like.

• 1:13:49Keke Palmer?

  The year just ended, damn. So, yeah, shout out to, to James.

• 1:13:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:13:53Keke Palmer?

  And I'm excited about the movie, The Gates. Okay, well, I hate that this is ending.

• 1:13:58Speaker 01

  I know, this is so fun.

• 1:14:00Keke Palmer?

  But I always play a game with all my guests. So, we're going to play the Keith Powers Dating Hotline. Here's how it goes. I'm going to give you a real life dating scenario.

• 1:14:10Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:14:10Keke Palmer?

  And you will give us your best advice. This is one of the show pilots that I have. I'm kidding. Okay, here we go.

• 1:14:18Speaker 01

  All right.

• 1:14:18Keke Palmer?

  I've been dating him for six months.

• 1:14:20Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 1:14:20Keke Palmer?

  We act like a couple, but he says he doesn't like labels. What should I do?

• 1:14:26Speaker 01

  Set a boundary.

• 1:14:30Keke Palmer?

  Now, what are my boundaries limits? Cause, cause what if I love him? You know what I mean? I don't really wanna lose him. So how would I do it without totally losing my man?

• 1:14:40Speaker 01

  I mean, you just, I feel like you tell somebody what you want. And with, he don't like labels, but you do for some reason. And you feel like that makes you feel official and you feel like that's, that's what you want? You say that and you like, you set that boundary like this is what it is, this is what I want. And I'll figure out a way to talk about it, but if you act like you cool with that, then that's what it's gonna be. You know what I'm saying? So, like you set a boundary, yeah.

• 1:15:07Keke Palmer?

  Okay, she says she doesn't believe in splitting the bill. Thoughts?

• 1:15:12Speaker 01

  That's a crazy question.

• 1:15:15Speaker 01

  I mean, not believing in it is crazy, but nah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:15:19Keke Palmer?

  Sometimes we gotta go Dutch.

• 1:15:21Speaker 01

  I'm the, I'm the person that always trying to pay for the meal regardless. Of course with my partner with Ryan, but then like with my friends too. So it's like, not believing in it is like, so you don't believe at all. But then at the same time, it's like, I got it anyway. But like, sometimes it might switch up, sometimes you might want, you know what I'm saying? I just, when somebody live in such, like such absolutes, I'm just like, come on, bro, we human. Like, sometimes you gonna be like, nah, I'ma help you. You don't have to, like, it's, you, I, I'm never gonna be that dude fighting over the bill.

• 1:15:48Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah. I think it's always cute to also, you know, sometimes, you know, you, you be the one to treat. I don't know, maybe I'm a little non-gender. Um, okay, he's amazing in person, but he barely texts. Is that maturity or lack of interest?

• 1:16:02Speaker 01

  Um.

• 1:16:02Keke Palmer?

  This is a difficult one in the digital age.

• 1:16:04Speaker 01

  I think that's, it's funny, cause it could be both. But it, I think like, some people are just not good texters. Like, honestly, and if they, and if they're dope in person, that's what really matters, honestly. Ah, you know how trash that would be to text somebody and it's fire? Like, over texting and y'all meeting in person and it's like.

• 1:16:23Keke Palmer?

  That actually happens to me.

• 1:16:25Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:16:25Keke Palmer?

  I've had that happen, because I'm such a texter, that somebody will be texting me that fucking for.

• 1:16:30Speaker 01

  No, you are actually a texter.

• 1:16:31Keke Palmer?

  Well, you know I love to text.

• 1:16:33Speaker 01

  No, but, yeah, no, I feel like, I feel like that's not, I feel like that's neat. I just feel like everyone, some people like, you know what I'm saying?

• 1:16:40Keke Palmer?

  Some people are great in person and they just don't, they just don't text.

• 1:16:43Speaker 01

  I mean, if they cool in person, that's all that matters.

• 1:16:44Keke Palmer?

  Period. Okay. I found out she went through my phone while I was asleep. She says it's because she has trust issues.

• 1:16:52Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:16:53Keke Palmer?

  What happens next?

• 1:16:55Speaker 01

  Now y'all gotta unpack that. You gotta unpack where the trust issues come from. Nah, for real, like, you gotta unpack it. Like, if you have trust issues, why do you have trust issues? What did you find now that you went there? Do we have to talk about some, so? I feel like we gotta unpack that now. Cause that's a deeper, that's gonna keep happening. I ain't just like, you know what I'm saying? That's gonna spill over into other categories within the relationship.

• 1:17:17Keke Palmer?

  I'm seeing the dating show podcast, you and Ryan.

• 1:17:21Speaker 01

  Nah, I'm not, that's not, I am still learning, y'all. I am still, no.

• 1:17:27Keke Palmer?

  Okay, just a couple more, because I'm loving this. Um, they say I love you after a month of dating. Is it too soon?

• 1:17:34Speaker 01

  After a month?

• 1:17:35Keke Palmer?

  After.

• 1:17:35Speaker 01

  I don't know why I heard year, yeah, that might be a little too soon. I don't know why, I heard year at first, I'm like, yeah, then it'll, nah.

• 1:17:41Keke Palmer?

  So you think I love you after a month is too soon?

• 1:17:43Speaker 01

  That might, that might.

• 1:17:44Keke Palmer?

  I've been doing it all wrong. This is why my [BLEEP].

• 1:17:47Speaker 01

  Cause it depends, like, you could love somebody, like, as a person, like,

• 1:17:53Speaker 01

  ooh, that's tough, like, yeah.

• 1:17:54Keke Palmer?

  They've always said after three days.

• 1:17:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:17:57Keke Palmer?

  I'm getting love bombed.

• 1:17:58Speaker 01

  You might, that's what I was gonna say. It could come off very love bombing if you're doing that too early. It's like, a month is kinda, maybe, just give it another month. You know what I'm saying?

• 1:18:09Keke Palmer?

  I think you're right.

• 1:18:10Speaker 01

  What happened, when does something become a habit? Sixty days?

• 1:18:13Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 1:18:13Speaker 01

  And it becomes a life, or sixty-six and after life is ninety? Yeah, let's, let's wait sixty-six and ninety before we start saying I love you. Cause that could get, you could, you could get into really crazy territory at that point.

• 1:18:24Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, trust me, I know.

• 1:18:26Speaker 01

  You just don't know. Everyone, everyone don't, that love word is different for everybody.

• 1:18:32Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, a lot of times it's infatuation, I'm not.

• 1:18:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think sometimes, somebody, and then you on a, it's the honeymoon stage, y'all on a high. Like, I love you, I love you, and then that first argument, y'all over there, wondering if, it's just like, nah.

• 1:18:44Keke Palmer?

  Are we gonna make it?

• 1:18:45Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 1:18:46Keke Palmer?

  Okay, this is the last one.

• 1:18:47Speaker 01

  All right.

• 1:18:48Keke Palmer?

  But this has been, I gotta, I gotta find the best one to end this on. Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Okay. Because you're too good.

• 1:19:01Keke Palmer?

  Okay, here it is.

• 1:19:02Speaker 01

  All right.

• 1:19:04Keke Palmer?

  He says he's healed.

• 1:19:06Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:19:07Keke Palmer?

  But every disagreement turns into him shutting down and he refuses therapy. What happens next?

• 1:19:12Speaker 01

  He's not healed. It's pretty, it's pretty clear that he's not healed. Unfortunately.

• 1:19:19Keke Palmer?

  But I love him!

• 1:19:20Speaker 01

  My dog is avoidant. Yeah, so you gotta, you gotta unpack that. It's all about unpacking that.

• 1:19:25Keke Palmer?

  I know who's not avoidant. It's you, Keith Bowers. And you are so awesome.

• 1:19:29Speaker 01

  Thank you so much.

• 1:19:30Keke Palmer?

  And I'm so happy that you came on the podcast!

• 1:19:32Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 1:19:36Keke Palmer?

  That was everything. Keith Bowers is proof that when you get honest about who you're becoming and you move with clarity in your love, your craft, and your purpose, everything else starts to align. Keith, thank you so much for opening up, for being thoughtful, and for having fun with us today. And we'll see y'all next time on Baby. This is Keke Palmer.