In an upcoming interview with Larry King, 23-year-old actress/singer Keke Palmer says that she plans on pressing charges against R&B singer Trey Songz for using her image in his music video for “Pick Up The Phone” without her consent.
“Yes, I am. I mean the video is down now but I mean more so—it’s out and it’s over— but I feel more so, my point isn’t to say— it’s not just specifically about this person, this guy and what he did,” she explains in the interview, which will reportedly air on Feb. 1. “It’s the overall idea that you can’t just do stuff to people and it’s all right, no matter who you are.”
Palmer has aired out her grievances on social media for allegedly being featured in the video without consent. She says that the video was just a party originally, but events unfolded and the get-together turned into the music video for “Pick Up The Phone.” Palmer explained that she was “coerced” into being in the video after telling the producer, the assistant and Songz no, but “sexual intimidation” and alcohol played a factor in her appearance.
“I feel as a female, often I’m put in situations where, sometimes males will use their masculinity, their sexuality to taunt you,” she told King. “I hate to have to bring and say that and make it known but I mean, look, I ain’t the first person that’s gone through. People have gone through this all the time, in college, in high school. But these aren’t the things that I’ve experienced. So this was kinda one of my first major experiences. It would be like you going to a party where the biggest jock is there and the whole time he’s like, ‘You can get screwed. You can get this you can get that. You ain’t no little girl no more.’”
Songz wrote on Twitter that Palmer is “buggin” and that she has his number if she wants to talk. He also gave another response to fans on Instagram, writing “I cannot devote my life to responding to, or clearing up every side of every story you hear about me, when would I actually live?”
Babygirl buggin. Point blank period. Got my number, coulda called, saw the cameras and the lights, heard action.
— Trey Songz (@TreySongz) January 22, 2017
I don’t do this twitter shit, girl you know me and got my number fuck outta here
— Trey Songz (@TreySongz) January 22, 2017