Benjamin Ashford|Keke Palmer Shares How 17-Month-Old Son Leodis Has Completely Changed Her Life

Baby, Leodis Benjamin Ashford Keke Palmer loves being a mom.

The Nope star recently shared what life is like as mother to 17-month-old son Leodis—whom she shares with ex Darius Jackson—saying he has completely changed her life "in ways I didn't expect."

"The funny thing about it, the child is the most responsible you can be," Keke told E! News' Francesca Amiker. "Having a child is going to bring a certain level of responsibility that nothing else will."

As the 30-year-old explained, parents not only have to keep them alive, but they also have to teach them how to be a person and "learn how to do things on their own."

But most importantly for Keke, Leo has taught her that in order to be the best mom for him, she needs to be the best version of herself and focus on her own autonomy—which she felt had been lacking in her life because of how busy she's always been.

"I need to be the best for him and to be the best for him, I gotta be the best me," Keke continued. "I'm not gonna be able to be the best me for him if I'm not focusing on the things that make me the best I can be."

And whether that means taking time to prioritize her health—both physically and mentally—or even taking the time to "have that night out with my girls," it all helps her be a better mom.

As she explained, this perspective helped her "have more of a balance in my life, because if I can't show up for him, then none of this s--t matters to me."

And the podcast host is having the best time watching her son grow up, joking, "Everybody thinks that their child is a genius, but my son is a genius."

Leo even got into the schmoozing game as Keke prepared to host the Made by Google After Party on Aug. 13.

"He was over there hanging—and talking to the execs, networking for no reason," she laughed. "Then you see me doing the keynote event, and we had fun at the after party."

The event celebrated the Proud Family alum and her partnership with Google's AI software Gemini.

"AI is not something that is going to take over your position, it's actually a tool that can help you," Keke said, noting it's "an assistant to help you do all the things you wanna do. And somebody like me that's always got 10, 12 jobs, I need assistance, you know what I mean? I need more than one."

To see more of Keke and Leo's most adorable moments, keep reading.

The Nope actress recapped her trip to Rome with her son Leodis Jackson in an Instagram carousel featuring quality time with the family, Lizzie McGuire throwbacks and an adorable mirror moment with her “Leo Rising” toddler.

Palmer gushed over “Master Leodis” in a heartwarming Mother’s Day post, teasing her desire for an even bigger family.

“I love being a mom more than I thought I would, and that was a lot already,” she shared on Instagram. “I want a whole soccer team.”

Palmer was shocked in an adorable video of Leodis saying the word “mama” for the first time while on set. As she put it, “I’m not crying YOU ARE.”

The proud mother wished her “Leo Beo” a happy first birthday in her emotional post, sharing that he has given her life purpose.

“You make my life so worth living,” she wrote in February 2024. “I’d live a million lives. Even with all the pain and suffering one has to experience here. I will do it over and over again, because I know that I’d be with YOU!”

“Santa” and her “favorite little helper” dazzled in a sparkly red dress and the cutest elf costume.    

Palmer was all smiles as she danced with her baby boy, calling him “the love of my life,” in her Instagram caption. “I can’t wait until you’re older and we can go to the movies together, camp, improv, binge tv shows, cook and all the other endless things I dream of doing with you."

Leo giggled at his mom as she recited the catch phrases of viral TikTok sensation Pinkydoll, repeating “popcorn, popcorn.”

Palmer couldn’t help but pull this sweet moment out of the archives, sharing a video of the joyful mom showering her baby with kisses.

This mama was ready for Mommy and Me yoga in an adorable skit, but baby Leo wasn’t too sure about the whole yoga situation…

“Happy Mother’s Day,” Palmer wrote on the milestone day, “to a MUVAAAAA.”

This was not an April Fools’ joke…Keke Palmer may have manifested the birth of her first baby, thinking back to when she “’joked’ about being preggers” just one year prior.