The drama between Keke Palmer and Trey Songz is heating up. Haven’t been paying attention? Here’s a refresher course:
Palmer posted various Snapchat stories of her fun time in Miami at Trey Songz’ New Years Ever party. The party in question turned into a video shoot that became the video for his song “Pick Up the Phone,” which featured a very short clip of Palmer looking at her phone (screenshot below).
Palmer took to social media again, claiming her image was used without her permission. Palmer said the video’s producer and Songz asked to be in the video, and she refused, even accusing him of using food, alcohol, and “sexual intimidation” to get her to be in the video.
“This is preposterous. How am I in this video Trey?” Palmer wrote on IG as a caption with the photo above. “After you found me in a closet HIDING because I was so afraid of anymore conflict. Literally, my last option was to hide because you all would not listen when I said I did not want to be in the video the FIRST time.”
“Just cause you give someone food and alcohol and throw in a little sexual intimidation doesn’t mean they will buckle,” the singer/actress continued. “Yet, you still disrespected me as young women, whom you’ve known since she was TWELVE. YOU STILL, defied my wishes and in turn showed your lack of respect for a brand that took me fourteen years to build and put me in the video against my wishes. Come on bruh, I clearly said no, and you said okay, yet I was secretly filmed when you told me ‘let me just show you the idea’?? Wow.
“This is the sexism and misogyny I refer to because if I were a dude, he wouldn’t have even tried me like this. Let this be a lesson to all; I’m not for the bullshit. I’m serious about my business, and you will not use my likeness without MY permission. When you in front of a boss you treat them like one like I treat YOU. NO MEANS NO!!!!!!!”
Trey replied on Twitter, unhappy with how she aired out the problem in such a public way. “Babygirl buggin. Point blank period. Got my number, coulda called, saw the cameras and the lights, heard action,” he typed. “I don’t do this twitter shit, girl you know me and got my number f–k outta here,” he wrote.
Palmer claims her unauthorized appearance in the video (which has now been removed) is liable to hurt her brand.
Fast forward to more recently; Keke chatted with Larry King about the incident. “I wasn’t in the right mind,” she said. “I had been drinking and eating, and it wasn’t a professional environment. It was not a place where I was like I’m in the right mind to decide if this works with my brand, if I like the artist, I don’t know nothing about the artist that’s also in the song.” When King asked about the “sexual intimidation” accusations, she explained, “I feel as a female often I’m put in situations where sometimes males will use their masculinity, their sexuality to taunt you.”
Watch Palmer’s interview with Larry King below. Do you think Keke has a case?
