Keke Palmer and Usher recently reunited to look back on their unforgettable moment at his 2023 Las Vegas concert—a performance that went viral and even stirred controversy in Palmer’s personal life.
During the Feb. 11 episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the two reminisced about the night that had social media buzzing.
“My reaction [to the show] was just like, ‘I can’t believe it, I haven’t seen anybody perform like this in such a long time,’” Palmer, 31, recalled. “Now obviously, everybody went crazy. We caused some ruckus in my relationship.”
That night, Palmer attended Usher’s concert in a sheer black dress and was serenaded by the R&B star—something he frequently did with celebrity guests like Issa Rae and Taraji P. Henson. However, Palmer’s then-boyfriend, Darius Jackson, publicly criticized her outfit in a now-deleted tweet, stating, “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom,” referencing their son, Leo.
On the podcast, Usher, 46, playfully addressed the controversy, jokingly asking if he was responsible for the fallout in her relationship.
“I don’t want to take any responsibility for breaking everybody’s home up, but that wasn’t the purpose and point,” he said.
He added, “It was for you to have a good time with your girls. Come out there and just enjoy… You looked fabulous, by the way. And if you didn’t wear what you wore, I wouldn’t have seen you. You was fabulous, amazing. I was like, ‘Oooh, Keke, come here, girl.’”
Palmer confirmed she had no regrets about the moment and acknowledged that relationships go through ups and downs.
“People have problems. Relationships have ups and downs. If Usher ends up being there, it’s just coincidence,” she said.
Their conversation also touched on Palmer starring in Usher’s Boyfriend music video a month after the controversy.
“I know it was a hot moment for you and I was like, ‘You know what? When life feeds you lemons, you make lemonade. I think that this could be something positive and actually just shine a little bit of fun on it,’” Usher shared.
“Let’s do something that just takes the mind off of it and just have a good time. Don’t focus on the drama.”
With laughter and mutual admiration, Palmer and Usher showed that their viral moment was just that—a moment—while they continue to flourish in their careers.
