TikTok: Keke Palmer, Cole SmithA college student has gone viral after asking Keke Palmer out in a TikTok video, prompting a response from the actress.
Cole Smith posted the clip after watching Palmer’s Hot Ones interview with Sean Evans, where the host admitted to having a crush on her. Smith explained he thought Palmer was married, but once realizing she wasn’t, he decided to make his move online.
In his video, Smith playfully told Palmer he was “throwing [his] hat in the ring,” joking about his scruffy look, offering her Nutri-Grain bars, and noting that while he’s 11 years younger, it didn’t matter to him. His post has since pulled in over 13 million views and 12,000 comments.
TikTok viewers filled the comments with supportive reactions. One person wrote, “Shooters gonna shoot,” while another praised him for addressing her respectfully.
Palmer responds on TikTok
The video eventually reached Palmer, who stitched it on her own account. “How you doing young man?” she said, calling his move bold but joking that she wasn’t ready to be a “cougar” yet. Palmer added that if she was, Smith would be the first person she called.
Smith later admitted he didn’t believe her response was real at first. “I started freaking out,” he told People. “Ms. Palmer is a legend for responding. Go see her new movie.”