USHER has broken his silence on the viral incident that occurred when Keke Palmer attended one of his concerts in 2023.
On Tuesday (February 11), USHER appeared in the latest episode of the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast to discuss several topics during the near hour-long episode. One of the juiciest conversations of the interview came as they engaged in an exchange about the moment the actress was thrown into a scandal after USHER serenaded her during his 2023 Las Vegas residency—prompting her boyfriend at the time, Darius Jackson, to criticize the mother of his newborn child for her attire that night.
In his initial remarks on the situation, USHER both pleaded the fifth while also making it clear that he didn’t intend to cause a raucous, even though he did.
“I cannot be responsible for how people choose to react to my experience as an entertainer,” USHER said, setting the record straight. He continued, “I am NOT deliberately trying to do anything that’s going to rock anybody’s home,” to which Keke Palmer playfully responded, “This is what you call ushering.”
Despite the drama, USHER explained why he took it upon himself to later team up with Palmer for the music video for his song “Boyfriend” that believes flipped the narrative.
“I think you and I both can share the sentiment of the moment,” he said when asked by Palmer why he recruited her for the video. “Because I know it was a hot moment for you. And I was like, ‘You know what? When life feeds you lemons, you make lemonade.”
He continued, explaining that he saw an opportunity to bring some lighthearted fun to the situation rather than fueling the controversy.
“Let’s do something that just takes their mind off of it and just have a good time,” he said. “Don’t focus on the drama. By the way, if you just focus on the drama, then you’re going to always respond to it only.”
He concluded, “Now, again, I don’t want to take any responsibility for breaking anybody’s home, but that wasn’t the purpose and point. It was for you to have a good time with your girls. Come out there and just enjoy.”
Last October, Palmer opened up about the fallout of the viral incident, revealing that the moment at the concert ultimately led her to file a restraining order against Jackson.
“I get that people feel like celebrities all know each other, or they’re thinking in their mind that,” Keke Palmer said in part. “I mean, ultimately I was doing what I do as an entertainer, as I was creating a fun moment.
“That’s what he [USHER] does with every entertainer that comes to his show. How it became a genuine storyline of that me and USHER in love, or me and USHER have something going on, I don’t know how it got there, but usually, as we all know, things are never really what they seem.”
One year ago today, Usher serenades Keke Palmer 😍✨pic.twitter.com/MOJBfzkGE8
— Arnold (@vibetoarnold) July 4, 2024
