Usher Pokes Fun At Keke Palmer Drama While Teasing Gabrielle Union: 'Don't Want No Smoke'

Usher's habit of serenading women is a viral theme at his concerts. However, the R&B star appears to be avoiding backlash after his stint with Keke Palmer generated a controversial response from her lover.

The "Yeah!" hitmaker and the "Akeelah and the Bee" star caused a stir on social media following their "pop moment" at the singer's Las Vegas show in July. The sexy performance left the actress's beau, Darius Jackson, ranting online about his girlfriend's see-through attire.

The online drama must have taught Usher a valuable lesson about singing to taken women as he dodged the opportunity to woo Gabrielle Union at his recent concert in Paris. Always a good sport, the entertainer's interaction with the Omaha beauty was a hilarious reference to his previous debacle.

The "Love in this Club" artist, who is set to headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show,  recently updated his Instagram page with a glimpse at his Paris show. The Dallas sensation shared a video of him trying to serenade the "Deliver Us from Eva" star, who attended the show with her NBA superstar husband Dwyane Wade.

Although he continued singing the hit song "Boyfriend" in front of the stunning actress, the father of four kept himself in line by not approaching Union.

When the crowd cheered loudly, seemingly encouraging the R&B star to work magic on the "Being Mary Jane" star, Usher clarified that he would not risk pissing off Wade. "Alright, okay, let's stop. Let's not get carried away," he told the crowd when the music stopped.

"You know, this is Dwyane Wade. I'm not crazy. That man will knock my whole head off and then dunk it," the 8-time AMA winner joked, causing the power couple and numerous audience members to crack up.

If anyone failed to get the playful atmosphere, the Dallas native shook hands and bumped shoulders with the former basketball player. Additionally, he tagged Wade and Union in the post and captioned the video, "Look, I don't want no smoke."

The hilarious interaction appeared to be Usher's way of laughing off his controversial status as a home wrecker. The father of four broke his silence about his viral moment with Palmer and her boyfriend in an August interview.

According to the Raymond-Braun Media Group co-founder, nothing inappropriate happened at his Las Vegas show. Instead, the encounter was blown out of proportion. "Every night, I'm thinking about how the world will react to this moment that I'll have with whoever I'm choosing to sing to," Usher explained.

"But it was a pop moment, and it was fun to have at least conversation going, and we just keep it light. I don't see anything negative happening in Las Vegas," the chart-topper stressed. Shortly after his take on the drama, Palmer addressed the Las Vegas incident by shading her boyfriend.

The "Madea's Family Reunion" actress starred alongside the R&B sensation in the music video for his "Boyfriend" song. The footage captured several shady moments, including a not-so-subtle line from Usher's track that read, "Somebody said that your boyfriend's looking for me."

In the video, Palmer morphed into Usher's likeness and performed an impressive choreography with the singer. However, the ending credits revealed the fantastic dancing had been a dream as the actress woke up in bed.

Throwing shade at her boyfriend, the mother of one exclaimed, "I'm so tired," winked at the camera, then added, "I am a mother, after all." Her words referenced Jackson's response to her viral moment at Usher's Las Vegas show.

Attacking the caramel-toned beauty for rocking a skimpy outfit to the concert, Jackson tweeted at the time, "It's the outfit, though… you're a mom." Hours later, Jackson returned with a lengthy message about his reaction.

"We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn't want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is," he wailed. "This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals for what I believe. I rest my case."

Judging by Usher's playful interaction with Union and Wade, Jackson's online drama has not affected him. Instead, his career continues to sail smoothly as the R&B superstar, and he is set to dominate the Super Bowl stage next.

After Rihanna's history-making performance at this year's program, the "My Boo" artist was announced next year's performer. In a statement from Seth Dudowsky, the NFL's head of music noted they were excited to have the icon on their prestigious stage.