Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer Shares Hilarious Story Behind The Moment She Found Out She Was Pregnant
Keke Palmer being pregnant has been one of the cutest things we have seen this year. If you’re like me and the other internet aunties then you grew up watching the actress onscreen and now at 29, we get to witness her become a mother. So far she has revealed that her pregnancy has seemed to cure her cystic acne by clearing up her skin, and she even appeared to accidentally share the sex of her baby during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Keke is welcoming her first child with boyfriend Darius Jackson and on her Amazon music podcast Baby, this is Keke Palmer, the beautiful couple opened up about how they met, about the moment they found out that she was pregnant, and even hints at the name.
Read more below:
Keke Palmer on how her and Darius Jackson met:
“Well actually, when I did Nope, that's when we met. We met when I was filming Nope. And you know how I am when I'm filming a movie or I'm doing a project or something like that. I'm very serious and I remember when I was doing, Nope, dating him was a breeze. Good. Not like how it's been in the past sometimes where I have to do my job and it's like I gotta cut a motherfucker loose because they stressed, they taken away from what I'm doing. And you know, when somebody's taken away from what I'm doing, they're done… You know, it could be a best friend relationship, hell, family. I'm just like, I gotta focus on what I'm doing.
"One thing that I really noticed from when I was filming Nope, was he made my experience better. I felt supported even, even when we were getting to know each other. So, you know, I definitely knew around, you know, when I had surgery last year or you know, when I did SNL and this came up, I had that extra support I had somebody that added as opposed to, you know, making me feel like something's taken away. And that definitely was taken into account as, obviously why we are in this, in this scenario and having this baby together because, you know, if you can support me in my career and we can support each other in life in this kind of way, then why not support each other bringing into a new life? So I, I thank you for that.”
Keke on how she found out she was pregnant:
“My baby was definitely planned. Like it, it wasn't like we sat on the chalkboard and wrote some stuff out, but… we were definitely like moving in the, in the vibe of definitely no surprise. But it's so funny because how I found out was actually Darius, because randomly I was just, you know, feeling to myself, maybe I could be pregnant. Like the, the period thing didn't even happen yet. I just thought to myself, huh, maybe I could be pregnant. Maybe this is the time. You know what I mean?
"I'm feeling good, you know, I always, you know, told myself definitely by 28 I would love to, to be pregnant, or you know, at least focusing on something like this. I was like, open to it like you're saying, and you know, [he's a] good partner, feeling really good. And so I was like, you know what? I feel like maybe that, maybe that I am [pregnant]. So I took the test and it came back negative, you know what I mean? I didn't have the lines on there, so I just threw it in the trash, you know what I mean? I just threw it in the trash.
"And so I go out with, um, with Nora and we're at like this semi-casual business dinner, but we're like having some little sake and like enjoying ourselves, and all of a sudden I get a text from Darius and he says, ‘When did you take this?’ And it's a picture of the pregnancy test and it's positive…I didn't wait long enough! And I'm like, ‘I took that earlier today, like literally just some hours before I left out.’ And he said, ‘Well, you better get to be drinking water in your sight. Cause I'm buying 10 of these things right now. You take them all when you get home.’ Soon as I come home, I, and I'm also not kidding, as soon as I come home, Me and him, I do 10 of 'em back to back, back to back, to back, to back to back. [And they're] all positive…”
Darius shares his side of the story about finding out Keke was pregnant:
“...First off, let, let, let's, let's set the record straight. You know, I was not digging in the trash can like, so the cleaning lady, she, she just emptied out the trash. So, when I went to the bathroom, I only just see one item inside the trash and I was, uh, the, [I saw] the pregnancy test and it was just, and it was facing down. I was like, okay, well she took a pregnancy test today. Okay. I guess she decided to take it on her own.
"No big deal, let me just lift it up. And then I just see the line and it was not even faint. It was actually a very thin line, solid straight. And I was like, the, this, this, this is actually a positive pregnancy test right now. So that's, that's, you know, but it stood out that it was just like the only thing inside a trash can, so I was not digging on through!
"But um, yeah, so at that point in time it did feel like, you know, when you watch them, uh, them like rom-com movies or them, them pregnancy movies where they go in that montage and they go to that grocery store and they're buying all the pregnancy tests. That's what it felt like.
"I went to Target and I was just like, ok, Clear Blue just started pouring all that in and then, uh, we had them lined up. I had like, Two, three bottles of water ready for Keke when she came back, [she began] drinking a bunch of water. And then, uh, yeah, during the, like the next two hours, it just kept [saying] positive, positive, positive, positive.”
Keke on how they determined the baby’s name (and it won’t be True Jackson):
“Me and Darius, we have a couple of little, like, aesthetic ideas, but most importantly, we just want him to look like a regular kid, like we are so anti-anything of aesthetic baby. Also including the name. We're not saying the name, but the name for us - it gives American. It gives Black American storyline. We want it to just be like, you know, we're not going for anything too unique. It's not about to be Stone and Sand. It's just like a nice natural [name]. I love that. I love that. No aesthetic baby.
"…Our baby is about to be dirty, wearing dirty t-shirts. Like we just want the baby to look like a baby for real, velcro shoes, you know what I mean? Like I love it. Light 'em up toes. Quarter, quarter jumpers. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. But, you know, but you know what's so funny is when we first started dating, it's so hilarious. Darius’ brother [Insecure actor Sarunas J. Jackson] was like, 'Yo, you know, you guys been dating for a minute. That'd be crazy if y'all get married and you turn her into a True Jackson [after her Nickelodeon TV show and character.]'
"So we said, when we do, we said, when we do our wedding cards, that's when the True Jackson moment will shine. We'll do the wordplay for those invitations. Yeah, but we are like, we can't name the baby True Jackson. That's too much of a joke. Yeah, that's too much of a novelty. It's too much of a novelty.”
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Feature image by Amy Sussman/WireImage
Although she has been working in showbiz since a pre-teen, Keke Palmer still makes self-care a priority. The Nope star has been busy as of late after starring in the new Jordan Peele film but she took a break to speak about how she still finds time to take care of her mind, body, and spirit. In the September issue ofWomen’s Health, the 28-year-old explained how saying no has helped her in her personal life and career and much more.
Djeneba Aduayom for Women’s Health
“I’ve learned over the years that to keep my sanity, and to physically keep this machine running, I have to pour into myself as often as I can,” she said.
While Keke has gone viral a number of times due to her comedic timing and even serious moments such as her innocently not knowing who former Vice President Dick Cheney was that turned into an iconic meme, she’s also been praised for her work ethic. The singer/ actress has been dubbed Keke “Keep a Job” Palmer because she seems to keep many jobs and we have even witnessed her shooting her shot at roles such as Insecure, which she landed in its final season.
And as much as she loves acting, she had to learn to put that same energy into taking care of herself. “It hit me that I have to practice loving myself the same way I practice acting,” she admitted. Even with all her many jobs, Keke still turns down gigs after learning the power of saying no.
Djeneba Aduayom for Women’s Health
“I realized it’s hard to say no because we don’t trust. We don’t trust that if we say no the opportunity will come again,” she said. “Or we don’t trust that if we say no we’ve made the right choice. Or we’re scared that if we say no we’re going to offend somebody. But I realized that saying yes to too many things was stressing me out the most. I’ve learned not to be afraid to rearrange things and to accept that I’m not going to be able to do it all without hurting myself.”
She’s still getting used to this power but shared that the self-care practice has actually helped her with loving herself. “It’s been two years since I embarked on this whole ‘saying no’ thing. And I must say, I’m getting really good at it now,” she revealed. “That’s the grace and the silver lining. Everything I’ve been through has taught me how to love myself more.”
Keke Palmer is Willing to Try THIS for an Adrenaline Rush?! | Once Never Forever | Women's Health
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Featured image by Djeneba Aduayom for Women’s Health
Since her acting debut in Barbershop: Back to the Basics, Keke Palmer has kept audiences intrigued with her talent. From singing to acting to hosting, the former child star can do it all and appears to have done it all at the age of 28. But time and time again, Keke has surprised us with another role, another song, or another hilarious skit on social media.
Her leading role in Jordan Peele’s Nope has her playing opposite Daniel Kaluuya. Keke plays Emerald Haywood, Daniel’s character OJ’s brother, and the two try to uncover the strange activity going on in their small town. In an interview with Glamour, the “I Don’t Belong to You” singer opened up about working on Nope, her groundbreaking career, and being in control of her life.
Keke on How She Balances Her Life and Career
“My mom always encouraged me to do everything. She told me I didn’t have to do one thing. She gave me people to admire in that way, like Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and even Queen Latifah. And she made me feel like creativity was not subjugated to just one medium and that I could always express it in different ways. I wasn’t thinking about it quite as articulately as that [at a young age]. I was more so thinking, I like to sing, I like to act and dance.”
Keke on Whether She Likes Being Remembered as the Girl from 'Akeelah and the Bee'
“I honestly love Akeelah. I’m happy I had a role that’s that memorable. Some people are always going to say, 'Oh, Keke Palmer, from Akeelah and the Bee!'…but I don’t have any bad feelings about it. If anything, I think that’s crazy that that character still has impacted so many people. It blows me away because some people don’t get that kind of role during the entirety of their careers…. And the reality is, everybody knows me for something different. Some people don’t even associate the girl from Akeelah with the girl on Instagram.”
Keke on Films Like 'Nope' Bringing Blackness to the Forefront
“It means everything. What I love about Jordan Peele is that he normalizes Black people in leading roles. And being in the leading role is no commentary on being Black. Obviously, there was that connection with Get Out, but that wasn’t the case with Us. It’s not the pivotal connection of his work. The most consistent piece in his work is its social commentary that the audience can chew on afterward.
However, it is about normalizing and putting Blacks and people of color at the forefront. Telling their narratives and stories effortlessly that includes their culture but doesn’t tie their identity to being Black in a way that’s victimized or subservient. It’s important for creators like Jordan Peele, actors, and all of us, to continue to push that envelope as it pertains to Black representation being very robust because we are robust people.”
Keke on Her Many “Firsts” (First Black Woman to Play Cinderella on Broadway and Youngest Television Host)
“It’s a great thing. But it constantly reminds me that there’s a lot of room for all of us to get into these doors, get these things done, and have these moments because I think we forget how quickly Black people have succeeded past the point that they were meant to. We forget how it was not that long ago. And when we have these moments, it’s a reminder that we can do more. To branch out and go in all these different corners, access all these different spaces, grow and ultimately create lineage in that space. I think about the Barrymores, and I think about myself in entertainment. I want my great-great-great-great-grandniece and my great-great-great-great-grandson to carry the Palmer name. If I’m the first, we got a lot more stuff we can do.”
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Method Man has been revered as one of the sexiest men in the entertainment industry right now. While he’s always been easy on the eyes, the last few years have seen the rapper-turned-actor go viral on social media many times due to his fineness such as the time he performed with Mary J. Blige during the 2019 BET Awards and his current role as the savvy, but arrogant lawyer Davis Maclean on Power Book II: Ghost.
However, inESSENCE’s digital cover story, the 51-year-old admitted his newfound fame as a sex symbol is something that he can’t wrap his head around. “I don’t understand that sh--,” he said. “I go to the gym for my own peace of mind. I don’t do it to become someone’s sex symbol or a pinup on someone’s wall. I do it for me.”
In the same breath, he does acknowledge that he likes the attention just as long as people take him “seriously.” “I’m the same as everybody else. But at the end of the day, take me seriously, not lightly,” he said.
Not being fully comfortable with how he’s being viewed as of late may have something to do with the environment he was raised in. Method Man was born and raised in Staten Island, New York, which is where he and his Wu-Tang Clan group members began their rap careers. “Understand, I was a Black boy living in some of the worst areas in New York,” he said. “I’ve always felt like I wasn’t enough. I’ve been told that from the gate, ‘You don’t belong here.’ Sometimes even without words.”
Method Man began his workout journey almost four years ago after battling insomnia, which he talked about in an interview with Jemele Hill on her podcast. He also shared how his kids feel about him being called a sex symbol.
“The sexiest thing about being sexy to me is not trying to be. You ask my kids, my kids will say sh-t like this, they’re like, ‘where?’ Sexy where? This n–ga?” he said jokingly.
He continued, “You take it all in strides. And, I don’t know, man, I’m bashful, I guess. You try to put yourself in a comfortable space and say, ‘OK, well, I earned that.' I didn’t pine for that. I didn’t try to prostitute myself to make girls like me — take my shirt off at every show type of thing. It just happened progressively, and I like that.”
With his hard work and dedication to his body, he told ESSENCE that he’s now eyeing more roles that may show off his stamina and physique, such as an action movie.
“I’ve done the training; I’ve done the fitness; give me my Michael B. Jordan in Creed moment,” he said.
Featured image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Keke Palmer is opening up about her boo Darius Jackson. The singer/actress visited the Tamron Hall Show and spilled some tea on her relationship. While she didn't address when they started dating, she was transparent about why she decided to go public with their relationship.
"I'm really one of those people that very much so keep it on the Beyoncé tip of just keeping everything lowkey," she said. "I think the reality is it's just it became more difficult to hide that. We spend all this time together and he's really my closest friend so it just becomes a thing where I'm not gonna hide something that makes me happy. So, it is what it is. It's not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job, but at the end of the day, hey, this is somebody that is important to me."
She even joked about their zodiac signs not matching up on the compatibility chart.
Keke is a Virgo and Darius is an Aquarius. "He's an Aquarius. Isn't that crazy?" she said. "It's a random matchup. He got some Taurus in that chart so that must be the balance."
But while their astrological signs may not seem like a match in the stars, they balance each other out in other ways. Keke works in entertainment, but Darius doesn't and that's one of the things she likes about him.
"I think it's the authenticity. I've always been somebody that hasn't wanted too much industry stuff in my life so he's very industry adjacent meaning he understands it but that's not what he's about."
She continued, "I think that also helps a lot too for the comfortability, but I mean, I don't know how to explain it. It's one of those things like I said is surprising to me as well, but I'm 28, I'm still learning so we'll see how it goes."
This appears to be the first time that the Southern Belle Insults author has gone public with a relationship. Keke has become known for her talented acting skills, singing, and vibrant personality that always shines through during her interviews. But she shares that she is happy and OK to also focus on having a love life.
"In this era right now, it's very much popular to be like, 'oh I don't care.' It's become very popular to the point where it does end up making you feel like you're not opening yourself up to it (love) and I think that's where it got to the point for me," she said.
"If I'm happy why don't I just be happy? Who am I trying to hide anything from or impress or what is the idea of it all that I'm trying to coerce? At the end of the day, I'm still me with or without a partner."
But being open about her relationship doesn't give others permission to get in her business. When it comes to having a successful relationship, she shares this philosophy.
"Quiet the noise and find the truth in your relationship."
Period!
Featured image by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Refinery29's Unbothered
Keke Palmer Recalls This Celeb As The First Person To 'Warn' Her About Boys
Keke Palmer has been in the spotlight ever since she starred in Akeelah and the Bee at the tender age of 11 and, while she was introduced to us as the cute girl with glasses, she was growing up and growing out of the awkward pre-teen phase.
Many people were taking notice, including N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube, and apparently, his fatherly instincts kicked in.
Keke appeared on the Oct. 26 episode of Celebrity Game Face where celebrities participate in trivia games. When it was the Hustlers star turn, she revealed that Ice Cube was the first person to give her dating advice.
She posed the question, "The first person to warn me about boys was a member of:
"A) my family, B) my church or C) N.W.A.?"
After celebs Monica, Supa Cent, and host Kevin Hart guessed the answer, Keke shared that the answer was a member of N.W.A., Ice Cube.
"When I was, I think 12 years old, I did the Long Shots with Ice Cube. When I was on the set, I grew up in the industry, but I was starting to get older at this point. I was starting to get together," Keke said, motioning her body.
She continues, "Ice Cube, he pulled me to the side. He was like, 'Keke, I know you're growing up, and I just want you to understand the way these men are seeing you isn't always how you see yourself.' And that was Ice Cube. Isn't he the best?"
How sweet!
Keke is one of the few child stars whose life didn't take a drastic turn for the worse while growing up in the spotlight.
The Joyful Noise star has continued on a positive path and made history while doing so. Keke became the youngest TV show host in TV history when she premiered her own talk show Just Keke on BET at 20 years old and she continues to sing and act.
As far as her love life, in the past, Keke has typically kept who she's dating private besides a few posts here and there. However, she's been pretty open about her current boyfriend Darius Dalton Jackson.
The couple posts a lot of adorable photos and TikTok videos with each other and while there's not much information about Darius, he is the younger brother to Insecure star Sarunas Jackson, the same TV show that Keke will be guest-starring on.
Featured image by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
