Mike Johnson Clarifies He Was NOT Asking Out Keke Palmer On TV! Um, What??

This week we saw one of the most awkward daytime TV moments in a very long time — but did we really see what we thought we saw??

For those who missed it, Mike Johnson was on the Strahan, Sara and Keke hour of GMA where he seemed to go down in flames asking out host Keke Palmer!

When she was asking about his public flirtation with Demi Lovato, he pivoted to talking about dating in public to talking about dating… in public.

Related: Demi Casually Dating Mike?

The reality TV personality said:

“I made a mistake. I don’t like dating in public… But if I were to ask you if we could go on a date…”

The audience erupted. Keke had to hide her shocked face with her question card. Michael Strahan and Sara Haines turned away like embarrassed parents.

Keke eventually spat out she was “at work” dammit, and just like that it appeared Mike had been rejected on live TV. No rose for you!

But according to the Bachelorette vet, he wasn’t *actually* asking out Keke. Um, what? It was live TV, we all saw it…

Speaking on the Barstool Sports podcast Chicks In The Office, Mike attempted to set the record straight about his courtship misfire. He explained:

“What had happened was [Palmer] was asking me questions about Demi. I’ve messed up in the past by speaking publicly about my personal things. So, I vowed not to do that again.”

Oh man if that was his goal did he ever mess up! He continued:

“She was asking me questions. She had asked me a second question, and I really didn’t want to speak on it. So, I did what most people would do in the situation that are good at doing interviews: They flip it.”

Is that what he thought he was doing? Like, he was trying to ask her how she’d feel if someone asked her out in public?

Because if so he did NOT consider the context at all. To everyone watching it looked indistinguishable from a man trying to work casually asking a woman out into a convo. Super awkward.

He says he thought he was “being cute and funny and innocent” with his little rhetorical trick, but it was widely assumed he was taking his public flirting game on the road.

And to ask someone out at work, so gross. It just seems like you’re asking everyone out at that point. That whole “fire at anything that moves” pickup artist grossness. And a LOT of people thought so.

Don’t believe us? Mike admitted:

“I got, like, the most unfollows ever in one day yesterday.”

His response to the haters?

“I’m complete trash in your eyes? Cool. Or I’m a great guy in someone else’s eyes. My mama loves me, my sister loves me, my grandma loves me.”

Guy. That’s true of serial killers, too. Not exactly something to brag about.

Of course, in denying he was really asking out Keke, he risks insulting her. So he added “she has a wonderful personality and that she exudes excellence,” but assured it was just an attempt to flip the question.

Obviously the titular Chicks had to ask the same thing Keke was. But he didn’t make the mistake this time of pump-fake asking them out. Instead, he simply said: