Keke Palmer Says She’s Open to Love Again, and Looking for a 'Steve Urkel' or 'Stedman' Type of Man (Exclusive)
The actress tells PEOPLE what she hopes to find in her next romantic partner
Keke Palmer knows the type of man she wants in her next relationship.
In an exclusive sit down with PEOPLE for this week's cover story, the actress, 31, reveals she was open to dating again after healing from an "unhealthy" relationship with her ex Darius Jackson.
"I don't know how to say it or think of it at this time in my life, but I do feel fabulous," she explains. "I do feel hot. I do feel everything. I live for the compliments. I love to be sought after. I love to be pursued, but I don't know if I really care that much."
Outside of her son (whom she calls "my love") and her family, Palmer says her career was the next great love of her life.
"I really, really love what I do," she continues. "And when I look and I think back on it, I think every relationship I've had was affected by that really greater sense of purpose. And I don't think that it's like a knock, but I do think that it's difficult sometimes for people, especially when we put gender rules into it."
The award-winning performer notes how her sense of purpose could be "a bit much at times" for potential partners. As someone who started their decades-long career as a child actor, Palmer acknowledges how her "older-than-me experiences in the workplace" have made her wiser beyond her years.
"I don't know where that fits in my love life, because I don't want to date someone much older than me," she says. "I've done that. And if I do date someone that's my age, then there are a lot of things that they might not also understand about my life. And so it's just one of those things."
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Keke PalmerShe has some ideas though for the type of man she may want to date next.
"It is very broad. A lot of people think they know my type. They don't know my type," she says with a laugh before prefacing that she likes to date the "Steve Urkel" type. "I'm looking for the guy that's in the sitcom," she says of the Family Matters character. "I'm looking for the guy that makes the dad jokes, the son jokes. I'm looking for the guy that is just like, 'Hi.' I'm looking for that guy."
"I'm looking for Stedman, okay? That's what I'm looking for," she adds, referring to Oprah Winfrey's longtime love Stedman Graham.
Palmer's candid admission about her love life comes after she ended her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Darius Jackson. After the former couple welcomed their son Leo in February 2023, their seemingly happy relationship imploded when Jackson publicly criticized a dress she wore to an Usher concert.
Palmer says behind the scenes, “there was a lot going on,” even before Jackson took to social media with a gripe that July.
For more on the highs and lows of Keke Palmer's life in the spotlight, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, available Friday.
A few months later, Palmer was granted a temporary restraining order in November after she detailed multiple allegations of domestic violence in a court filing. One of the incidents she named and captured on video, appeared to show Jackson breaking into her home and attempting to strangle her.
He responded in court with his own accusations and alleged evidence that she abused him as they clashed over custody of Leo. Six months later, after court-ordered mediation, Palmer and Jackson settled amicably on a joint custody agreement.
Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative by Keke Palmer comes out Nov. 19 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
