Image Credit: Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock
Keke Palmer turned heads in a plunging, elegant black gown as she stepped onto the red carpet at the Music in Action Awards 2023 Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday. The Nope actress, 30, wore a stunning black sparkling gown with a plunging sweetheart neckline, long sheer sleeves, and stiletto heels as she flashed her famous smile for the cameras. Keke wore huge, sparkling hoops and pulled her hair into a sleek updo for the formal event. The actress looked elegant by any standard, oozing old Hollywood glamour.
The appearance comes just two months after ex Darius Jackson, who happens to be the father of her infant son Leodis, infamously outfit-shamed her for a similar sexy black dress. After videos circulated of Keke being serenaded at a concert by Usher, Darius lashed out via social media, writing in a Twitter comment, “It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom.”
Keke Palmer in Los Angeles on September 21, 2023. (Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock)
The outfit in question was a sheer black dress with a plunging sweetheart neckline, not unlike her more recent look at Thursday’s gala. Despite serious fan backlash, Darius remained defiant, later taking to Twitter on July 5th to defend himself. “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.
A month later, rumors of a split emerged. But by August 26, when Keke celebrated at least part of her 30th birthday with Darius, rumors of a reconciliation also emerged.
As for Keke’s keen sense of style, she downplayed it in a March 2022 interview. “I like clothes, but I’m not necessarily a fashion girl,” she told Who What Wear at the time. “I don’t know if I can keep up with trends, but it’s still incredible to me. It’s a different art form. I’m thinking about writers and directors and cinematographers, and the fashion set is thinking about designers and the houses.”
