From booking her starring role in the box office hit, Hustlers, to securing a hefty bag from ABC for her new role as host on the Sara, Strahan, and Keke Show, 26-year-old entertainer Keke Palmer has made it clear that she's no longer the cute kid from Akeelah and the Bee, she's a grown-ass woman.
With adulthood comes the need for grown-ass dating expectations, and in a recent interview with Seth Meyers, our good sis had a word about choosing an equally yoked partner. When asked about her ultimate dating dealbreakers, Keke had this to say:
"You got to have something going on because I have stuff going on so I can't be like, doing all my stuff and then call you and you're just sitting there waiting for me. That's too much."
According to the Singled Out host, while a good "wyd" text is almost inevitable when dating in the digital age, there's nothing sexier than a man who can mind his own damn business (both literally and figuratively).
"He could text me but he has to have something going. You have to have something to do. Otherwise, it's just like codependent and he's gonna start asking me for money cause he knows I got it."
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Keke revealed more about what she's seeking in a romantic partner and spoke on the traits that will make her say "sorry to this man":
"Obviously bad breath is like, 'Oh, no, love.' Not-moisturized lips—keep yourself up! I would love the teeth to be off-white or white, you know? [laughs] Make sure there is no crust in the eyes. I need nothing in the eyes; it's like, 'Oh my gosh, did you wash your face this morning?" And smell good. That's the basic one, but those are specific pet peeves of mine.
During her chat, Keke also broke down her morning routine and why sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to her grown-ass lifestyle.
"I'm a pretty ritualistic person. A big part of it is knowing what I'm doing the next day, so if there are any extra moving pieces, I can get my mind mentally prepared. Sleep is really, really important to me. Maybe four or five years ago—I was 21, 20—it was like, 'Sleep, who needs it?!' Now it's like, 'Oh, hell no, I need to sleep today.' Sleeping is a very big part of why I have the energy I think I have. I really force discipline and make it a part of my life, and working out [has become] a part of my schedule."
To watch her full interview with Seth, click below!
Keke Palmer Thinks She Would Make a Great Singled Out Contestantwww.youtube.com
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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