Keke Palmer is opening up about that scary incident during her recent appearance at SXSW.
In case you didn’t see what happened, Keke attended the film festival to see the premiere of her new movie I Love Boosters last week. During the panel about the film the day after its premiere, something strange and concerning went down. A fan walked up to the stage, got down on one knee, and PROPOSED to her! OMG!
You can totally see how uncomfortable Keke is in the video shared by TMZ, and she responded:
“I can’t marry you. I don’t know you, I’m so sorry … It’s okay. Is this a prank?”
After that, security guards escorted the man out while Keke said:
“Sorry, guys, let’s just take a deep breath. Much love to you, brother.”
Related: Steven Spielberg Throws MAJOR Shade At Timothée Chalamet At SXSW!
See the video (below):
???? EXCLUSIVE: Keke Palmer gets a surprise proposal from a random guy at SXSW in a very awkward moment. pic.twitter.com/aMq87UzgwJ
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 13, 2026
Yeah… Wild. And that’s not even the end of it. Austin Police Department were called to the JW Marriott a day later, though. The man was allegedly refusing to leave the premises after being banned because he wanted to try and propose to the actress again…
Not only was the incident totally crazy, it was downright nerve-wracking for the True Jackson alum. She confessed during an interview with Access Hollywood during the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty that it definitely freaked her out a little:
“I was shocked. I thought it was a joke at first. And then it seemed like he was really serious and then I was kind of just, was nervous because, I don’t know, I just feel like people are lonely, you know?”
Ugh… But Keke did the right thing. She was super smart and decided to be “delicate” with the man because she didn’t know his situation or what his mental health was like:
“I see the whole parasocial relationship and stuff like that. You don’t want to break anybody’s reality, but you want to be real, and yeah, I was trying to be delicate with the situation.”
We’re really glad the situation ended calmly during Keke’s panel and that she was so quick with thinking. Reactions, Perezcious readers?
For resources on mental health, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.
[Image via The Drew Barrymore Show/YouTube]
