Keke Palmer says her last April Fools’ joke ‘manifested’ her son
Less than one year after her controversial April Fools’ Day pregnancy joke, Keke Palmer is now a proud mom.
Palmer reflected on her widely criticized social media prank in an Instagram post April 2. She shared a video holding her son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson, as she danced to some music. While Palmer seemed amused, baby Leo appeared to give her the side-eye throughout the clip.
“And to think! Just last April fools I ‘joked’ about being preggers … we manifested you little buddy!” she wrote in the caption. “I love hanging with you and you just be looking crazy like a caveman. He already tired of me.”
In April 2022, Palmer was slammed on social media after posting an ill-advised April Fools’ Day joke that she was pregnant.
In a now-deleted series of posts on Twitter, the “Nope” star shared a mirror pic of her posing with her stomach pushed out alongside the caption, “I’ve officially joined the summer MOM club.”
However, Palmer let fans know that she was joking, adding the message, “I don’t lie.. But I do tell JOKES! Haha Happy April Fool’s Day y’all, I know most of y’all wouldn’t believe me.”
Several fans called Palmer out for her “played out” and “insensitive” joke. One fan added, “Jokes about pregnancy are not funny especially with the thousands of women who miscarry/ can’t create life.”
Months later, while making her hosting debut on “Saturday Night Live” in December 2022, Palmer revealed that she was pregnant with her first child during the monologue.
She used her big moment on stage to address the rumors, telling the crowd, “There are people in my comments saying, ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant,’ and I want to set the record straight.”
“I am,” she said, before unbuttoning her trench coat to reveal her baby bump.
Palmer announced the birth of her son, who she shares with her boyfriend Darius Jackson, on Feb. 27 in an Instagram post.
In the slideshow of photos, Palmer shared several glimpses into the first two days of her son’s life, including snaps from the hospital of Jackson holding Leo, and solo shots of her newborn.
“Hey Son!!!!” she began the caption, explaining that he was born just 48 hours prior. “Darius always made me playlists when we first started dating, ‘Someone’ by El Debarge was a favorite. We became each other’s someone and made a someone, look at God!”
Since becoming a mother, Palmer has sent her love to the fellow moms out there in a touching video on Instagram in early March.
“If you are a single parent, pull out your cape. As a matter of fact, unclip your angel wings because I don’t know how else you did it,” she said in the clip. “Maybe they lost somebody. Maybe they don’t want to deal with somebody. Maybe it’s a choice."
She continued, adding, "But when it comes to raising a kid, I’ve already learned in these short few days that it takes a village and sometimes that’s a privilege.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
