Keke Palmer Talks Usher Dance Incident: What Really Happened (Exclusive)

Usher didn't make Keke Palmer want to leave the person she was with.

The actress, 31, and author of a new book Master of mineIn this week's cover story, she tells PEOPLE what really happened when she attended Usher's hit concert last year and how she handled the conflict with ex Darius Jackson.

In early 2023, Palmer and Jackson appeared to be a completely happy couple after welcoming their son Leo in February. But “there was a lot going on” behind the scenes, she says, even before Jackson complained on social media in July.

“But it depends on the outfit. . . “You are a mother,” he wrote in response to a video showing Palmer in a sheer dress dancing with Usher at his concert. Fans immediately defended her online – although some commenters caused unrest.

“I was speechless,” she says of the uproar the next day.

“I was at a photo shoot and everyone looked really weird. I thought, 'Are you all okay?' And then I happened to be on the phone and saw it,” she says. “It was so crazy. I didn’t want to get involved in something that wasn’t reality and add fuel to the fire.”

Palmer says: “I was just at a concert and did what I do as an entertainer to create a funny moment. “How it became a story that me and Usher are in love, I don’t know,” she says now.

In fact, they weren't in love and never have been. But ever the shrewd businesswoman, Palmer seized the opportunity to release a sassy song and music video with the singer called “Boyfriend.” “As we all know, things are never really what they seem,” she says.

As for the end of her “unhealthy” relationship with Jackson, she blames it on the stress of new parents and “I imagine fame,” says Palmer, who has navigated their painful breakup – which also included allegations of domestic violence and a Custody dispute belonged – publicly.

“It’s been a monkey on my back my whole life. I'm used to it. But I've always known it, not just in my romantic relationships, but also with my family and friends. Fame has always become a burden.”

In this particular case: “I live a very simple life, but fame makes you think I'm going to go to the Usher concert, drag him off the stage and let him wrap me around my finger,” she says. “You might think that, but it's like, 'Girl, I'm just like any other mom out for a night.'”

Palmer adds: “I can’t control how people perceive me. I can only control how I present.”

For more on Keke Palmer's ups and downs in the spotlight, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on sale Friday.