Baby, This is Keke Palmer

Episode: Hollywood Highs, Family First with Tyler Lepley and Serayah
Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Keke Palmer
Guests: Tyler Lepley, Serayah
Topic: Navigating Hollywood milestones, family, faith, and their new Netflix film Ruth and Boaz.

Episode Overview

In this vibrant and heartfelt episode, Keke Palmer sits down with actors Tyler Lepley and Serayah to explore their transformative life moments—parenthood, recent engagements, and landing star roles in the upcoming Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin Netflix romance film, Ruth and Boaz. The conversation blends laughter, candid stories about motherhood and new fatherhood, career pivots, the daunting highs and lows of Hollywood, mental health, and the grounding power of faith and family.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pre-Show "Pull Up" Icebreakers (01:02–05:47)

• Vibe Check & Personal Updates

  • Serayah: “Today I’m giving mother at work with a side of boss babe.”
  • She discusses the reality of traveling with her infant, adjusting to post-baby body, and evolving her relationship with fashion.
  • Keke and Serayah bond over how motherhood changed their bodies and confidence in fashion:
    • “It changed in a way that allowed me to show a little bit more... it allows us to explore fashion in a different way.” (02:27)
  • Serayah’s current playlist includes SZA; last screenshot? Her flight itinerary.

• Astrology & Love Languages

  • Serayah’s “Big Three”: Gemini Sun, Aries Moon, Libra Rising (03:28). She connects with all her signs:
    • “I get a little bit of fire sometimes, and sometimes I’m very much my Libra girly... And also, that Gemini like, ‘I’m here, I’m there, I’m nowhere.’” (03:48)
  • Love languages: Quality Time and Gifts (04:13). She admits she’s embraced her love of receiving gifts and shares her approach:
    • “It’s like, oh, I really like this... hopefully he picks up... that’s another testament to who you’re with.” (04:47)

• Tyler’s Turn

  • Mood: “Clean!”—cuts his own hair after years of learning out of necessity (05:34).
    • “20 years later, I’m clean!” (06:07)
  • Today’s mood: “Blessed... I just feel like I done made it now, you know what I’m saying?” (07:31)
  • Music on the way: Gunna and Army FOMOB (08:05)
  • Aries Sun (doesn’t know his full “big three”): “March 24th.” (09:08)
  • Love language: Physical touch (09:32)

2. Navigating Major Life Changes (10:08–15:36)

• Summer Milestones

  • Serayah recaps a year of huge transitions: having a baby, turning 30, and her engagement to Joey.
    • “Honestly... rolling with the punches with the vibes and just blessed. Overwhelmed with love and overwhelmed with... goodness.” (10:27)
  • Celebrating low-key: a “cute staycation... dinner and all the things.” (10:55)

• Tyler on Engagement & Fatherhood

  • Recently engaged to Miracle Watts; navigating her first pregnancy and postpartum as a partner.
    • “Most men want to pull up and fix the situation... but you gotta really roll with the punches.” (11:57)
  • Choosing what to focus on—“Glass half full versus empty”—shapes his experience:
    • “Choice of what I’m choosing to pay attention to makes a big difference for me.” (12:05)

• Wedding Plans & “Bridezilla” Potential

  • Serayah dreams of a destination wedding but feels overwhelmed; wants intimacy but has a huge family (13:13).
    • “Probably the calm bride, because I’m gonna have somebody be like: this is what I want, please plan it!” (13:51)
  • Tyler: Wedding set for next July in Mexico, settling on a 40-45 person guest list to balance intimacy and their giant extended families (14:21).

3. Parenting, Balance, and the Realities of Motherhood (16:08–19:47)

• Finding Balance Postpartum

  • Serayah is transparent:
    • “I’ve made it to the gym maybe twice in the past few months… Celebrate the little small pieces you get.” (16:46)
  • Her fiancé Joey’s presence as a supportive, experienced parent (their blended family):
    • “Very calm, cool, collected... there for me when I’m having my little meltdown situations.” (17:13)
  • Surprise at partners’ ability to sleep through baby chaos:
    • “Something that’s very interesting is how the guys can just sleep... we can’t sleep through it.” (17:50)

• Postpartum Mental Health & Stigma

  • Keke underscores the insidiousness of postpartum emotions:
    • “You don’t know that what thoughts of yours are not your own... It just becomes a part of who you are.” (18:52)

4. Hollywood Journeys—Breakouts, Challenges, and the Power of Perseverance (21:03–32:21)

• Public Perception & Pressure
  • Tyler Lepley on being labeled a heartthrob (“Essence Sexiest Men Alive”):
    • “It immediately takes me back to when I decided to do this... everybody that I spoke to about it just didn’t have anything positive to say.” (20:17)
    • The importance of “choosing your focus” and perseverance.

Career-break moments:

• Serayah – Empire Origin Story

  • Cast as Tiana after an unexpected connection and last-minute audition; went from H&M sales to major TV break.
    • “No place to live... to on TV from H&M.” (24:51)
    • “I was just ready to do whatever.” (26:03)
  • On meeting Taraji P. Henson & Terrence Howard:
    • “Girl, I was like this. Hi. I was 19.” (26:41)

• Tyler – The Haves and the Have Nots

  • Left personal training, risked his last dollars, and faced skepticism:
    • “You can play both sides up to a certain point... at some point, you gotta make a choice.” (28:09)
    • Humbling experience: “Down to my last client paying my rent.”
    • His client’s “mic drop moment”:
      • “It would be like my doctor telling me he’s gonna quit to become a dancer.” (29:51)
    • On Tyler Perry’s legendary work ethic:
      • “He’s there before everybody, and the last one to leave. He’s outworking everybody.” (30:53)

Creative Expression:

• Serayah on being a “multi-hyphenate” singer/actor/dancer—letting the artistic sides feed each other:
  • “Music is me and my authentic self... with film and acting, I get to tap into a different side creatively.” (32:21)
• Tyler on fans still connecting most with his Have and Have Nots role despite other hits like Harlem and P-Valley:
  • “Even after all this time... that makes sense... Tyler Perry just has his... he’s like Walt Disney.” (33:59, 34:13)

5. Ruth and Boaz: New Film, Classic Love Story (35:01–41:47)

• On Accepting Roles in a Faith-Based Romance

  • Both were excited (though slightly apprehensive) to explore a “wholesome Black love story”; Serayah always wanted to do a romance in the spirit of “Love Jones.” (35:55)
    • “I want to see us in good love stories more often.” (35:55)
  • On working with Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin:
    • Serayah’s awe at being on Tyler Perry’s lot for the first time:
      • “Driving up... it’s beautiful, y’all... so inspiring.” (36:46)
  • Casting chemistry: Had to do chemistry reads virtually while filming a slasher horror together! (37:22)

• Genuine Love in a Transactional Era

  • Tyler:
    • “Everything is very transactional... love is just on the surface... in a dying economy, sometimes we’re not even creating space for genuine love and connection.” (38:42)
    • The film’s take: “Where Boaz meets Ruth, she’s not the finished product... love can meet you right where you’re at.” (39:21)

Working with Legends:

• Phylicia Rashad, Jermaine Dupri, and Babyface on set

  • Serayah on Rashad:
    • “She’s the icon, the regal. I just love talking to her.” (40:21)
  • Studio session with Babyface:
    • “He’s so poised, so chill and laid back... I wanted to flip out right now!” (41:02)

• On emotional scenes and Serayah filming while newly pregnant (42:04)

  • “I don’t even understand how I... I was just jumping in.” (43:23)

6. Family, Faith, and Chosen Community (44:03–50:25)

• The Role of Faith

  • Tyler: “At the end of the day, when the ish really hits the fan... faith is all that you have. I’ll follow faith into the dirt.” (44:03)

  • Opens up about being the only Black child in a white family; finding identity and strength through parental love and self-determination:

    • “My parents did… the best job… making sure I had that foundation of love… that was enough to give me the springboard to go figure out who I was.” (45:08, 46:04)
    • Shares childhood microaggressions and racism:
      • "My best friend... says, 'Do you know what a [slur] is? Before I could say no, he says, 'That's what you are.'" (46:43)

  • Keke echoes her own childhood experiences and the importance of resilience and focus, especially for Black children in predominantly white environments (48:04).

• Serayah on Faith and Family

  • Faith is an anchor, passed down generationally:
    • “Whatever prayers Grandma and ma prayed over me has kept me in a lot of different situations, out of a lot... and took me through a lot of hard situations.” (49:29)
  • Realness about "free flowing" through adulthood—no one has it all figured out, faith bridges the uncertainty (50:25)

7. Mental Health & Community Uplift (51:15–55:55)

• Deserving Love Foundation (Serayah)

  • Created by her mom; focuses on uplifting women—especially single mothers—by providing community and face-to-face support ("sister circles"):
    • “Every time we do sister circle, someone leaves feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I needed this so much.’” (52:20)
  • The importance of normalizing deserving love and affirming value, especially in Black women’s lived experience. (53:16)

• Tyler on Therapy

  • Attends therapy ("been with Gary... over 10 years"):
    • “I first got into it for work purposes... but then I started seeing why I needed it in life.” (54:16)
    • Aries tendencies: holding things in or over-committing to others. Therapy helps modulate emotional expression and self-care.

• Keke: Continual Growth

  • Self-compassion, "there is no healed, only continued healing."
    • “I thought I was healed. And it’s like, there is no healed. There’s continued healing.” (56:41)

8. Fun and Chemistry: Most Likely To Game (57:36–62:05)

A playful segment where Keke tests the dynamic between Tyler and Serayah, including:

• Most likely to win a basketball game? Tyler (58:26)
• First to cry at their wedding? Serayah (“Definitely me.”) (59:11)
• Hardest musical playlist? Tyler, but Keke notes both have range (59:29)
• Hardest clap-backer? Serayah admits new-mom energy could have her out for blood (59:50)
• Hiding snacks on set? Serayah, especially while pregnant (61:35)
• Showing up late but always best-dressed? Serayah (62:16)
• Leaving set with a souvenir? Tyler: “I’m leaving here with something.” (62:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Motherhood & Fashion:

• Serayah: “After being a mom, like, was it a lot coming into your mind whenever you get dressed now or is it the same feeling that you've always had with fashion?” (01:58)

On Perseverance:

• Tyler: “If you can’t make a way for yourself in this small pond called Philadelphia, what makes you think you can go out to the middle of the abyss and do anything different?... You fast-forward 15 years, and you see all this support coming in.” (20:17)

On New Love in an Old World:

• Tyler: “Where Boaz meets Ruth, she's definitely not the finished product... Love can meet you right where you're at.” (39:21)
• Keke: “Faith is the greatest healer... there is no healed, there's continued healing.” (56:41)

On Hollywood Legacy:

• On Tyler Perry’s work ethic:
  • Tyler: “The billionaire who's showing up... outworking everybody here.” (30:53)

On Community and Uplift:

• Serayah: “We have to pull up for each other and we need to be in each other’s face and hold each other’s hands.” (52:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:02 – Pre-show “pull up” icebreakers & fashion talk
• 03:28 – Astrology & love languages
• 05:28 – Tyler’s turn: “Clean,” barber talk, and being “blessed”
• 10:08 – Life-changing events: motherhood, engagements, turning 30
• 11:45 – Tyler on fatherhood, engagement, and shifting priorities
• 13:09 – Wedding planning: fantasy vs. reality
• 16:08 – Balancing self-care & parenting postpartum; partner support
• 18:52 – Postpartum struggles, mental health, and motherhood
• 20:13 – Tyler on public image and roots
• 24:40 – Serayah’s journey from H&M to “Empire”
• 27:45 – Tyler’s trek from broke to “The Haves and the Have Nots”
• 32:21 – Music vs. acting: multi-hyphenate artist perspectives
• 35:01 – Ruth & Boaz: landing the role, chemistry, and Black love
• 40:14 – Legends on set (Phylicia Rashad, Babyface, Jermaine Dupri)
• 44:03 – Faith and family: personal and cultural journeys
• 51:15 – Community, “Deserving Love,” and mental health foundations
• 57:36 – “Most Likely To” game
• 62:05 – Wrap up

Episode Summary

This episode is a candid, uplifting conversation celebrating growth, resilience, and the messy, beautiful realities of juggling Hollywood with family and faith. Serayah and Tyler Lepley each reflect on breakthrough moments, vulnerabilities of new parenthood, the essential role of chosen community, and the value of mental wellness in a demanding industry. Their rapport with Keke Palmer shines—full of empathy, mutual hype, and infectious laughter.

From the struggles of postpartum adjustment to the power of legacy and representation in their new film, Ruth and Boaz, the episode highlights how love—romantic, familial, and self—anchors these artists through life's unpredictable chapters.

Ruth and Boaz drops September 26 on Netflix, promising romance, faith, and Black love at the center of its story.

Memorable Closer:
Tyler: "I'm leaving here with something." (62:40)
Keke (on faith and parenthood): "We are still reaping the benefit of those prayers." (50:32)