Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Break Up After He Shamed Her Usher Concert Outfit

They welcomed a baby boy in February.

Actress, Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson attend the NBA x HBCU Classic Presented by AT&T as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on Thursday, February 19, 2022 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Image credit: Photo by Juan Ocampo / Getty)

Keke Palmer will not be put down.

Just weeks after her partner Darius Jackson publicly shamed the outfit she wore to an Usher concert in Las Vegas, the two have reportedly split.

"Keke and Darius called it quits shortly after he called her out on Twitter for her outfit at the Usher concert. Keke is focusing on her work and her 6-month-old son," a source told Entertainment Tonight. "The actor and Darius have been co-parenting, but for now, they aren’t together."

In case you missed the story back in early July, Jackson quote-tweeted a clip of Usher serenading Palmer at his show, writing, "It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom"

The context here is that the Nope star was wearing a black bodysuit under a sheer black dress, and that she and Jackson welcomed their baby boy Leodis "Leo" Andrellton in February of this year, their first child together.

Immediately, people on Twitter began berating Jackson for shaming his partner's outfit, and for taking any gripes he had to a public platform instead of bringing them up privately.

Palmer didn't address the drama publicly, but days later she released a line of merch with the phrase "I'm a motha" emblazoned on it—which sent a clear message without the actress actually needing to say anything at all. The ultimate Big Boss move.

And THEN, on Aug. 16, Usher dropped the music video for his song "Boyfriend," starring none other than Keke Palmer. The star sings and dances and otherwise shows off just how cool she is throughout the video, but the pièce de résistance comes towards the end of the video, when she says, "Sh*t, I'm so tired, I'm a mother," before turning to the camera and adding, "after all."

Queen, queen, queen.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.