Usher opens up on the Keke Palmer-Darius Jackson drama
Usher has responded to a viral video of Keke Palmer dancing at his Las Vegas residence, which caught the attention of the “Nope” actor’s boyfriend on social media.
In an interview published on Friday, the “Caught Up” hitmaker called the video and the discourse that followed a “pop moment” worth talking about People. In the concert clip, Usher can be seen serenading Palmer as they slowly dance to his 2010 song “There Goes My Baby.”
“I think everyone’s vision or version of what they think happened there just leads you to have a really good time in Las Vegas,” said Usher, who starred in 2019’s Hustlers with Palmer had a cameo appearance.
“And that’s hopefully the result. It was more of a conversation about what was going on while we were enjoying ourselves in front of the crowd or chatting about this song.”
The concert footage of Palmer and Usher gained even more traction on social media after the ‘Akeelah and the Bee’ star’s boyfriend, Darius Jackson, publicly shamed her for wearing a sheer dress and black bodysuit to the show.
“It’s the outfit, but you’re a mom,” Jackson replied to the clip on twitter.
Jackson’s comment immediately drew criticism from many, who saw it as a bitter attempt to exert control over the Emmy-winning actor and the mother of her newborn child. To defend himself, Jackson reiterated his unsolicited opinion on how a mother should dress.
“We live in a generation where a man from the family doesn’t want the wife and mother of his kids to show their butts to please others and he’s told how much he hates,” he says he said in a follow-up tweet.
“This is my family and my representation. I have standards and morals for what I believe in. I am letting my case rest.”
Palmer later chimed in on the online discussion about motherhood and her body in an interview with The Cut. She said she was “actually quite insecure” before the birth of her son Leodis Andrellton. Since then she has become “so much more powerful” and has decided to “lean into this new body”.
“Yes, young mothers. “You do,” she said, adding that she appreciates the support she’s received from other moms online.
“Girls, if there’s one person on this earth who loves you for sure, it’s this baby. Be happy because there is no love like it. Someone who loves you like that, dammit, who cares?”
Shortly after attending Usher’s show, Palmer posted several photos to Instagram showing off her stylish concert look. The “Yes!” hitmaker was quick to thank her for coming and praised her in the comments section.
“Every night I think about how the world is going to react now to this moment that I’m going to have with whoever I want to sing to,” Usher told People.
“But it was a pop moment and it was fun to at least have a conversation and we just keep it casual. I don’t see anything negative happening in Las Vegas.”
