Keke Palmer Reacts to Ex' Comments on Usher Concert Outfit

Keke Palmer has opened up about her state of mind after her ex Darius Jackson publicly shamed her outfit for an Usher concert last year.

In July 2023, Jackson quote-tweeted a clip of Usher serenading Palmer at his Vegas show, commenting, "It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom."

In the video, the Nope actress was dancing happily while wearing a sheer full-length black dress over a black bodysuit.

Social media users quickly condemned Jackson for his comment, which they largely felt was out of order.

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Behind the scenes at the time, "there was a lot going on," Palmer explained to People this week.

"I was speechless," she said of the moment she found out about Jackson's comment and the uproar it had caused.

"I was at a photo shoot and everybody was looking all weird," she continued. "I was like, 'Are y'all good?' And then I randomly was on my phone and I saw. It was so crazy. I didn't want to engage with something that wasn't reality and fan the fire."

She added, "I was just at a concert, doing what I do as an entertainer, creating a fun moment. How it became a storyline that me and Usher are in love, I don’t know."

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The Scream Queens star spoke to People as she promotes her new memoir, Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative.

The book is wide-ranging, covering topics from her career to her life as a single mom. In it, Palmer details what happened in her relationship with Jackson to make it "unhappy and unhealthy," and why she had to eventually walk away.

The actress was granted a temporary restraining order against Jackson after filing in November. She had accused him of "many instances of physical violence" at the time.

The exes welcomed son Leodis "Leo" together in February 2023, and ultimately, Palmer told People, "I didn’t want my son to think his father is a monster, because I don’t."

Master of Me: the Secret to Controlling Your Narrative by Keke Palmer

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 British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. 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.