Keke Palmer has found a silver lining in the cloud of controversy stirred up by her boyfriend, Darius Jackson.
‌In a move that combines entrepreneurial spirit with a dash of sass, Palmer has launched a line of merchandise that cheekily addresses the recent uproar over her attire at an Usher concert.
The controversy began when Jackson took to Twitter to express his disapproval of Palmer’s outfit at the concert, a sheer black dress layered over a matching thong bodysuit.
Darius, who shares a son with the “Nope” actress, publicly criticized her sheer outfit on Twitter after retweeting a video of Keke being serenaded by Usher during his Las Vegas residency.
He tweeted, “It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom (sic),” alongside the video hours earlier. When he came under fire for publicly shaming his partner’s look, Darius simply doubled down on his stance.
“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,” he tweeted. “This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Palmer, not one to be easily deterred, has turned the tables on the controversy. She is now selling merchandise emblazoned with the slogan “I’m a Motha,” a clear nod to Jackson’s tweet.
The line includes a white crewneck sweatshirt priced at $45 and a T-shirt that reads “I’m Stevie to the Bulls–t,” available in black or gray for $30.
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The latter phrase refers to Stevie Wonder, who is blind, and his song “Isn’t She Lovely,” which Palmer was singing to her 4-month-old son, Leodis, in an Instagram Reel announcing the merchandise.
In a message to her followers, Palmer wrote, “One thing is certain and one thing is true, IM A MOTHA, through and through!” She added, “To all my mom’s [sic] out there, how did your baby change you?? Mine empowered me!”
Palmer’s clever response to the controversy has been met with support from fans, who have praised her for standing her ground and turning a negative situation into a positive one.
As for Jackson, it seems he may have learned the hard way that when it comes to Palmer, he’s dealing with a “motha” who knows how to cash in on controversy.
Keke and Darius welcomed their son Leodis in February.