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Keke Palmer’s son is stepping in front of the cameras for his first-ever campaign.
The One of Them Days actress’ son Leodis, 2, will be featured alongside his mom, 31, in The Children’s Place’s new back-to-school campaign. Ahead of the campaign’s launch, which goes live on Palmer’s Instagram on Tuesday, July 29, PEOPLE had a sneak peek of the playful, real-life energy of the actress and her son.
Styled by Palmer, the campaign features different looks for Leodis and his friends. The proud mom mixes bold prints, comfortable pieces and more, blending style with functionality. The Nope star’s back-to-school selections are available on ChildrensPlace.com in August.
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Courtesy of Keke Palmer
The Emmy award winner welcomed her first child in February 2023 with her ex-boyfriend, Darius Jackson. Since welcoming Leo, the actress hasn’t shied away from posting about him on social media. Between silly videos and heartfelt tributes, Palmer has been relishing in motherhood.
“Mommy’ing is coming along if you were looking for an update. I have juggled quite a few careers but this is my greatest gig of all,” Palmer wrote on Instagram in March 2023. “I will never be the same again, but if you thought I was a bad mama jamma before, you can’t imagine the greater purpose my son has given my life!”
While appearing on Scott Evans’ House Guest podcast earlier this year, the True Jackson, VP alum, whose real name is Lauren Palmer, reflected on how she and her ex decided on the name for their 2-year-old son.
“Darius actually made his name. He wanted both our names, which is so crazy,” she said, joking about how the practice of combining the parents’ names is seemingly common in Chicago. “So yeah, that was him trying to put like Darius and Lauren, like Leodis, like it was just too much, but I said, ‘Hey, let’s do it. It’s adorable.’ ”
“I was pregnant, anything went. It’s adorable, … and then also it sounded like an old name,” she said. “He sounded like he was marching with [Martin Luther King Jr.]. It’s like Leodis Andrellton Jackson. He’s gonna be on somebody’s campaign.”
During a recent conversation with E! News, the actress talked about her new album, Just Keke, her upcoming movie The Pickup and the one role she’s excited for her son to watch her in.
“Very excited for him to see Akeelah and the Bee,” she told the outlet.
Palmer has a different outlook on life now that she’s a mother. Palmer previously told PEOPLE that life is “always a juggling act” these days as she navigates motherhood and her demanding career as an actress, musician and business owner.
“I do feel like being 30, it’s put me in a different head space that’s allowed me to kind of feel more observational about my life,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m not so in the weeds of everything. I’m really trusting and having faith that everything will work out as it should. I think so much of that peace has come from my son.”
