Keke Palmer, Mike Johnson Split Image
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Men of the world, take note: There is a time and place to ask a woman out and on national television ain’t it. Enter: Mike Johnson and Keke Palmer. The Bachelorette alum, 31, tried to shoot his shot with the Hustlers actress, 26, during an October 14 episode of her talk show, but failed miserably. Since then, Keke has exclusively revealed to Life & Style that she and Mike haven’t spoken.

“No, I have not, no,” the Illinois native laughed when asked if the pair has had any contact since that cringeworthy day. Keke went on to explain that she prefers more low-key romances — i.e. not accepting a date in front of an audience. “It’s not that I’m terribly against it, it’s just too many eyes, too much publicity,” she said at Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program Luncheon. “I like to keep my personal life private.”

As it happens, Keke has expressed this sentiment on more than one occasion, including two days after Mike asked her out. “Well, first of all, I get real spooked about entertainers or reality [stars]. I don’t know, it really scares me to date people in the industry. That’s No. 1,” she confessed. “No. 2: He asked me in front of everybody. I felt totally like … ambushed. I felt ambushed. I felt like it was a big ol’ gag. I’ve been doped.”

Keke Palmer
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After facing a great deal of backlash for his actions, Mike took to Twitter to clarify his intentions. Side note: The reality TV alum was being criticized not only for his timing, but also because he was romantically linked to Demi Lovato at the time. “For those with untrue assumptions, I’m grateful to be in your thoughts. I deflected a question posed to me on my dating life — made a playful comment,” he began. “I love black women, too. I’m happy, those are the vibes.”

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