“While I’m open for a little swirl or two … I’m not ready to be a cougar,” Keke Palmer told the young man. “But if I was, you’d be the first one I was calling.”
Keke Palmer, Adrien Brody and Daniel Craig arrive on the red carpet
Actors dazzle at the SAG Awards
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and Keke Palmer isn’t letting one young man forget it.
Palmer recently took to TikTok to address a now-viral video of comedian Cole Smith, who asked the actress and singer on a date. In a walk-and-talk video on his college campus, Smith said he was surprised to learn Palmer isn’t married after watching her recent “Hot Ones” interview. The interview gained traction for a “quick smooch” Palmer and host Sean Evans share at the end of the video.
“This message is for Ms. Keke Palmer,” Smith said in his video. “I am throwing my hat in this ring. I got fedoras. I got (expletive) golf visors. I got sombreros. All of the hats. I hear Sean Evans is a great guy, but wouldn’t you rather be with a college student that forgot to shave this morning?”
Smith said he couldn’t offer Palmer hot wings, like Evans, but he could offer her a half-smashed Nutri-Grain bar from his backpack. The TikTok video, featuring the hashtag #ShootMyShot, had garnered over 13.6 million views as of Sept. 26.
“Ms. Keke Palmer, please come get yo man!” a TikTok user commented on Smith’s video.
Keke Palmer responds to viral video
In her response video, Palmer said she was “gagged” to learn she was 11 years older than Smith.
“That means when you were born, I was already winning spelling bees,” Palmer said in her video, referencing her role in the 2006 film “Akeelah and the Bee.” “The point is, while I’m open for a little swirl or two, even though the last time I did that the Black community had me in a chokehold, the truth is, I’m not ready to be a cougar. But if I was, you’d be the first one I was calling and we’d be munching on that Nutri-Grain bar together.”
Palmer’s video has fans pretty gagged, too.
“She did not say no. I repeat, she did not say no,” a TikTok user commented.
Another commented: “Ma’am, he is ready to offer you a full Nutri-Grain bar … don’t let him go!”
‘My heart is beating so fast.’
To close the loop, Smith posted a video of himself watching and reacting to Palmer’s response. And in hopes of winning her over one last time, he offered her every type of Nutri-Grain bar under the sun.
“If I have kids and they grow up and ask me and my wife, ‘What was the best day of your life?’ my wife will probably say, ‘The day you were born.’ And they’re going to say, ‘Oh, what about you?’ And I’m going to say, ‘Wasn’t that,'” Smith said. “Just know that in 10 years when I tape my first stand-up special, you’re going to have a ticket with your name on it.”
Palmer commented with the flaming heart emoji: “I can’t wait to come watch you shine, you are funny. See you in ten, sir.”
Nutri-Grain even joined in on the fun.
“Happy to say we’ve been here from the start,” the breakfast bar brand commented on Smith’s reaction video.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add a new photo gallery.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.