Keke Palmer‘s new album, Just Keke, isn’t just dropping new beats; it’s dropping truth bombs about her very public and very complicated relationship with her son’s father, Darius Jackson. She recently opened up about the project and her hopes that he’d be her “Steadman.”

As BOSSIP previously covered, the saga of Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson became unavoidable after Jackson’s now-infamous July 2023 tweet criticizing Palmer’s outfit at a Usher concert. That public spat quickly escalated, leading to their official split in October 2023. The drama intensified when Palmer filed for a restraining order against Jackson in November 2023, alleging instances of physical and emotional abuse. Jackson, in turn, filed his own restraining order, painting a picture of mutual discord. However, in a recent development, the couple reached an amicable joint custody agreement for their adorable son, Leo, in May 2025, requesting to drop the cases, signaling a move towards more peaceful co-parenting.

Now, Keke Palmer’s new album, Just Keke, serves as a deeply personal soundtrack to the past two years of her life. She describes it as “not just an album — it’s my real life,” a raw and emotionally unfiltered journey. The project opens with “Off Script,” a track where she seemingly addresses misconceptions about her son’s conception, making it clear Leo “was brought in purposefully.”

Keke Palmer’s New Album: No Filter, Just Her Truth

One of the most talked-about moments from Keke Palmer’s new album comes from a track where she lays out a clear disappointment:

“You hear but you don’t listen, you still don’t love you, even when I let you get me pregnant! Oh, sh*t, how else can I prove it!? Was supposed to be my Steadman, instead you went on that baby daddy sh*t!”

For those needing a reminder, Steadman Graham is widely celebrated as Oprah Winfrey‘s supportive, long-time partner, known for never trying to overshadow her.

In interviews promoting Just Keke, Palmer has been remarkably candid about her decision to address such intimate details publicly.

“When I said the thing about my son, it’s like, you do think when you and someone come together and decide to have a child, y’all have made that decision together and that was…my son was brought in purposefully, that ‘hey we’re on the same page.’ But it doesn’t mean that,” she shared with The Breakfast Club. “And I think even moreso, after you have a kid, you start to see things differently than maybe the way you saw them before. That whatever insecurities you have, that whatever insecurities they have, because you go from being a one to a two and now a three. And so I think having a child will really test a relationship and show you who you have to be to show up for that child.”

She also revealed that Jackson had heard the album and was “really proud” of her for being so open, suggesting a level of maturity in their current co-parenting communication despite their past.

Just Keke is now available on all streaming platforms.

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