Keke Palmer Dances in Boxers in Usher’s “Boyfriend” Video, a Well Timed Clapback to Her Ex

In July, Keke Palmer went to an Usher concert. Perhaps you heard about it.

Keke attended Usher’s Vegas residency with friends in a black and sheer body hugging dress (because mama has boddyyyyyy and when you have it, you should flaunt it). At one point during the concert, Keke was serenaded by Usher and in response to both these events (the dress, the serenade) her now-ex Darius Jackson logged onto Beyoncé’s internet of all places to say that her behavior wasn’t becoming of — gasp! — a mother (Jackson is also the father of Keke’s baby son). Presumably this is now why Jackson is Keke’s ex. And that’s a good reminder to everyone who’s ever thought that being in a relationship with someone meant you have a right to control how they adorn their body, another choice is to just sit there and eat your food.

Ok so Keke wore the dress, everyone on the internet had opinions and wrote thinkpieces about the dress and her ex, and now we have arrived here today.. with Keke Palmer having the last word.

Usher has released his newest single “Boyfriend” and the music video stars none other than Keke Palmer, dancing around in a luxurious bathrobe, sports bra, and boxers during a girls weekend at a hotel suite in Vegas. She drinks champagne and winks at the camera while lip-synching “Somebody said your boyfriend’s looking for me/… He should know I’m easy to find/ He can look for me wherever he sees you” — which yes, on face value that line is absolutely about Usher taunting an off-screen boyfriend. But, you don’t have to scratch especially deep beneath the surface for a queer line reading of Keke Palmer rolling around in a pair of boxers while crooning that someone’s girlfriend is going to be thinking about her at night.

Also, if you were wondering if there’s a deliciously well timed “I’m a muva” call out at the end there, just know you won’t be disappointed.

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Carmen Phillips

Carmen Phillips is Autostraddle's former editor in chief. She began at Autostraddle in 2017 as a freelance team writer and worked her way up through the company, eventually becoming the EIC from 2021-2024. A Black Puerto Rican feminist writer with a PhD in American Studies from New York University, Carmen specializes in writing about Blackness, race, queerness, politics, culture, and the many ways we find community and connection with each other.  During her time at Autostraddle, Carmen focused on pop culture, TV and film reviews, criticism, interviews, and news analysis. She claims many past homes, but left the largest parts of her heart in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Buffalo, NY. And there were several years in her early 20s when she earnestly slept with a copy of James Baldwin’s “Fire Next Time” under her pillow. To reach out, you can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.

Carmen has written 716 articles for us.

11 Comments

  1. +100 for deserved and effective pettiness.

    +1,000 for Keke Palmer in that bra and boxer combo.

    +10,000 for Keke Palmer looking SO HOT in Usher drag while massively queering his lyrics.

  2. 1. Thank you for including all the backstory so I could fully appreciate the video and that line near the end.

    2. I was not ready for that elevator door to open!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥 My god.

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