It was all pomp and circumstance over the weekend when one of Hollywood’s most loved actresses Keke Palmer celebrated the upcoming birth of her child with a “Once Upon a Baby”-themed baby shower.
The Akeelah and the Bee star took to Instagram to share countless stories of the day, which included music, dancing and food galore – all while surrounded by loved ones.
The soon-to-be-mom chose to wear a simple, body-hugging nude jersey dress paired with matching suede boots to celebrate the occasion and accessorized with a glistening tiara in an easy updo with cascading curls.
The father to her child, football running back Darius Jackson, matched his partner with a tan hat, khaki-colored jacket and plaid, Burberry-esque pants.
“A long time ago, in a land not so far…The King and Queen got together to play,” Palmer wrote on Instagram. “The play turned to love as many sunsets passed by. Now there’s a prince, who’s soon to arrive!”
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday, she revealed to the world that she was expecting a boy and is expected to deliver in March.
“Pisces are known to be very deep, very emotional creatures,” she said referencing her son’s potential astrological sign. “I don’t want to be too…tell it like it is…I need to wade in the water with a Pisces, just keep it chill.”
Sources say Palmer met Jackson through his younger brother, Sarunas Jackson, who played a role in the HBO hit series Insecure, where she also made a guest appearance. They began dating in 2021.
For months, rumors have swirled that the Illinois-born star was pregnant, but it was not until hosting Saturday Night Live last December that she revealed her bare belly for the world to see.
“There’s some rumors going around, people have been in my comments saying, ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant,’ and I wanna set the record straight — I am!” Palmer exclaimed at the time. She then proceeded to rip open her caramel-colored blazer to show her baby bump in front of a live studio audience.
“I gotta say, though, it is bad when people on the internet spread rumors about you y’all, but it’s even worse when they’re correct. I mean, like, I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low, cause I got a lot of stuff going on, you know?” she said. “But honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I’m going to be a mom.”
The actress continued: “Even though some people feel a little weird about me having a baby cause I was a child actor, I just wanna say, look, I’m 29, I’m grown, I have sex, I own a home, I stormed the Capitol on January 6, you know? Things adults do.”
The 29-year-old has been quite mum about her relationship with Jackson although she did open up about becoming “Instagram official” with him earlier this year.
“It became more difficult to hide,” she said. “We spend all this time together, and he really is my closest friend, so it just becomes a thing where I’m not gonna hide something that makes me happy.”
“It’s not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job, but at the end of the day this is somebody that is important to me so why not,” she added.
