The actress came under fire after a pregnancy joke last April Fools' and this year, she's a mama!
A lot has changed for Keke Palmer over the past year! The Nope actress shared a video on Instagram reflecting on the biggest change -- her newborn son, Leodis Andrellton Jackson.
"And to think! Just last April fools I 'joked' about being preggers ... we manifested you little buddy! I love hanging with you and you just be looking crazy like a caveman," the 29-year-old new mom wrote alongside the video of her snuggling her son -- whom she shares with her boyfriend, Darius Jackson -- as she dances to music.
Last April, Palmer made headlines when she shared a mirror selfie of herself holding her back and sticking her stomach out on social media. "I've officially joined the summer MOM club," she captioned the since-deleted post, surprising her fans and followers.
Later, Palmer confirmed that she was joking, writing: "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." She added, "I will be a mom one day and me and the baby both gon' be silly as hell together hahaha."
The joke was met with backlash as many pointed out how that brand of joke has been widely characterized as inappropriate. Other celebrities, such as Tori Spelling and Justin Bieber, previously came under fire for doing the same thing -- although Spelling pushed back at the criticism by explaining that she didn't mean to offend anyone, but "unless you're in the public eye" it's hard "to understand what it feels like to be body shamed so publicly."
"Every week, magazine and press outlets ask if I am pregnant. To set the record straight, I am not. The fact is, after my fifth baby, my body didn't bounce back like it had before. That's when the constant questions of 'yet another' pregnancy first began," she began. "I feel like I have to constantly defend my body when instead, I should be honoring it for the miracle of life it gave me five times."
She continued by writing that she knows "pregnancy is an extreme blessing" and "would never intentionally poke fun at losing a child or not being able to carry one. I myself have miscarried."
"My post was simply to turn the tables for once on the press. They constantly create wild and often hurtful stories about me, my body, and my family," she added. "For those of you that are hurt, I hear you. I love you. I welcome your stories and I will try my best to support you. Please accept this as a virtual hug to my entire community. T xoxo."
Spelling's post was applauded by many friends and followers who expressed their support for her.
Meanwhile, motherhood hasn't been all laughs for Palmer. In a video posted to Instagram last month, the actress admitted that parenthood hasn't been the easiest, commending single parents who tackle the journey alone.
"I just came on here to say, if you are a single parent, pull out your cape. Matter fact, clip your angel wings. Because I don't know how it is you did it," she says in the video. "And I really don't want this to sound pander-y or something like this, because I know there are a million and one reasons why somebody wants to be a single parent or becomes a single parent. Maybe they lost somebody, maybe they don't want to deal with somebody, maybe it's a choice."
"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," she adds. "And I just want anybody out there that's a single parent that's been doing this -- friends of mine, people that I don't know, family members of mine -- [know that] I really am, in my heart -- it brings tears to my eyes. I am just truly, profoundly impressed."
Palmer went on to humorously caption her video, "I ain’t gon’ lie, I’m gettin’ COOKED!"
The video was met with words and emojis of encouragement from famous moms and fans alike, including Taraji P. Henson and Tabitha Brown. The latter sweetly commented, "You’re doing great honey❤️."
Watch the video below for more on Palmer's pregnancy.
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