Keke Palmer discusses Darius Jackson drama

Keke Palmer speaks on partner Darius Jackson’s online criticism of her

Keke Palmer wears a sparkling silver dress as she poses for photos at a red-carpet event.

July 12, 2023 2:31 PM PT

Keke Palmer is ready to jump into the discourse that was spurred by partner Darius Daulton Jackson’s online criticism of her.

In a recent interview with the Cut, Palmer was asked what her mentality was upon learning of the online chatter that centered around her motherhood and her body.

“I’ll be honest, I think before I even had the baby, I was really actually quite self-conscious,” she said. “After having my baby, I’ve gotten so much more powerful. We’re going to lean into this new body, and I think that is the whole aura of what’s happening with me in this big boss era as I come into my 30s, and I have my baby boy, and I’m just continuing to spread my wings as a young woman.”

The “Nope” actor made clear that she appreciates the support that she has been getting online from fellow moms.

“Do you, new moms. Do you,” she said. “Girl, if there’s one person on this earth that loves you for sure, it’s that baby. Be happy, because there’s no love like it. Somebody loving you like that, hell, who cares?”

Palmer and Jackson had a public spat after a video of Usher serenading her at one of his Las Vegas shows went viral last week.

In a now-deleted tweet, Jackson criticized Palmer, who was wearing a black thong bodysuit under a sheer dress in the video.

“It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom,” Jackson replied to the clip on Twitter.

Despite being promptly roasted online for his comments, Jackson doubled down.

“We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is,” Jackson said in a follow-up tweet.

“This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”

Since the incident, Palmer and Jackson, who welcomed their first child together in February, no longer follow one another on Instagram or Twitter. Additionally, Jackson has scrubbed his socials of any photos and mentions of Palmer.

The “Akeelah and the Bee” star didn’t give any specific details about the current nature of her relationship with Jackson in the recent interview and instead mentioned that she was focused on bettering herself and uplifting others.

“I’m just continuing to spread my wings as a young woman,” the 29-year-old actor said. “My headspace is just to continue to inspire and encourage myself and anybody else who wants to go down that road with me. Because we’re growing and we are changing. It’s all about loving who I am and loving what I experienced and what I’ve gone through that’s gotten me here. A lot of gratitude for me.”

In the most recent episode of the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast, which was recorded before Jackson’s comments, Palmer’s partner said he held the “Hustlers” star to a “perfect standard” when their relationship went public.

“[I]t really confused me and infiltrated my mind because not only did I have to hold myself to that perfect standard, I was also holding you to a perfect standard as well,” Jackson said on the podcast. “So, any moment of flaw on my side or on your side it was World War III...”

Palmer initially reacted to her personal drama last week in several different ways, or at least that’s what fans concluded. First, she shared several photos on Instagram from her night out at the concert, with a caption praising Usher as a performer.

She then posted a TikTok that made it clear that if anyone wanted to “act up,” she was “’bouta link up.”

The ever business-savvy actor also updated her merchandise line with shirts that make reference to her personal drama, including a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words, “I’m a Motha.”

Keke Palmer speaks on partner Darius Jackson’s online criticism of her

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