Keke Palmer; Usher. PHOTO:
TAYLOR HILL/WIREIMAGE, KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE
Usher heard that Keke Palmer’s boyfriend was looking for him.
Just weeks after relationship drama unfolded between Palmer, 29, and her boyfriend Darius Jackson, the Nope actress is starring in the music video for Usher’s latest song called “Boyfriend.”
The R&B star, 44, announced the single with a teaser trailer that he posted to YouTube and social media, which featured clips of him and the actress, on Tuesday. Palmer herself also shared it on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The full video, which was filmed in Las Vegas according to the credits on YouTube, premieres on Wednesday.
Usher Talks New Song ‘Good Good’ — and Weighs in on Keke Palmer and Boyfriend’s Outfit Drama (Exclusive)
The brief trailer reveals shots of the Hustlers star giving the camera a sultry look as she sits in front of a vanity, sipping champagne in a hotel room, and strutting with a group of girls down the hotel hall. It also offers a tease of the “OMG” singer as he’s getting ready backstage before a brief snippet of the song plays.
“Somebody said that your boyfriend’s looking for me/Oh that’s cool,” the hitmaker croons on the new track.
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Keke Palmer Shares Solo Video with Son Leo amid Online Drama with Boyfriend Darius Jackson
In late July, Jackson received backlash for publicly criticizing the sheer dress Palmer wore to an Usher concert in Vegas. In a now-deleted quote tweet of the former Nickelodeon star dancing with the “Love in This Club” artist, he posted, “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom.”
After fans responded negatively to the fitness instructor’s comment, he wrote in another tweet that has since been deleted, “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. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Darius Jackson and Keke Palmer in October 2021.
GREGG DEGUIRE/GETTY
Palmer, who shares her nearly 6-month-old son Leo with Jackson, proceeded to post more photos from the night on Instagram, while Jackson later scrubbed his social media.
In a conversation on Palmer’s podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, that was recorded prior to the incident, Jackson spoke about how he’s held Palmer to a “perfect standard” after going public with their relationship.
Keke Palmer Talks Post-Baby Body, Says New Moms Should Do ‘Whatever Makes You Feel Good’ (Exclusive)
“At first, it definitely was hard because it could all be very overwhelming,” he said. “It was definitely overwhelming and intense at first.”
“And it’s like, you almost feel that pressure of needing to be perfect,” Jackson continued. “And so, it 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.”
Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this month, Usher shared his own thoughts on the situation, saying it was “a pop moment” and “worth talking about.”
“I think everybody’s vision or a version of what they felt happened there just leads you back to just really having a good time in Las Vegas. And that’s what I hope came out of it. Rather, it was a conversation of what was going on with us having fun in front of the audience or conversation about that song,” he said at the time.
He added, “Every night I’m thinking about how the world now is going to react to this moment that I’ll have with whoever I’m choosing to sing to. But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going and we just keep it light. I don’t see anything negative happening in Las Vegas.”