Nearly three months after an exciting pregnancy announcement on Saturday Night Live, actress Keke Palmer, 29, gave birth on Feb. 25, and shared the first photos of her newborn on Instagram two days later. But that’s not all — she also shared his name: Leodis Andrellton Jackson. The adorable baby boy, who already has the nickname Leo, is the first child for Keke and boyfriend Darius Jackson, and she documented how they’re feeling as new parents in an Instagram post, which also served as an announcement for the baby’s arrival into the world.
The Nope star first announced her pregnancy during a shocking monologue on the Dec. 3, 2022, episode of SNL. “There’s some rumors going around,” Keke said. “People are in my comments saying ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant.’ And I want to set the record straight…I AM!” The brunette beauty made the announcement as she unbuttoned her brown blouse to reveal her growing baby bump.
Soon after the new mom shared a carousel of photos from her time on the hit comedy sketch show, many of her 11.6 million followers took to the comments section to congratulate her. “Shine bright superstar! We love seeing you WIN! Keke Keep A Bag Palmer!!!”, one admirer wrote, while another added, “Congratulations!!! I am so so overjoyed for you. If you need newborn stuff we have TONS to give, holla oxo.”
Keke also captioned the post with a lengthy message of gratitude for her big moment. “I had such an amazing time hosting SNL! Truly such a unique experience, I learned so much. The cast was incredible, I was so happy to be taken into their home for such a short time. Being around so many others that appreciate and put their all into their craft was especially fulfilling,” she began. “I love to preform so much.. I love bringing laughter and good vibes and just taking us all away for a moment. Even if not just for myself, but for whoever wants to join.”
Towards the end of caption, Keke mentioned how excited she was to be going through this next journey of her life with her child. “This year has taken me for a ride! And how cool, my baby and I are already doing it all together. Thank you God! Thank you to my amazing parents and family who continuously support me,” the Akeelah and the Bee star added. “Love is all we have isn’t it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone! Very grateful… Happy Holidays!”
Although Keke did not reveal who her baby’s father is, she has been dating her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, since 2021. Keke also took to Twitter days after her SNL appearance to slam online haters for calling her “ugly.” The proud mom wrote, “I just saw a few comments of ppl saying I was ugly cause I wasn’t wearing any makeup. And I really want y’all to get the help y’all need because makeup isn’t real. I’m beautiful in real life, because of who I am, not what I look like.”