Actress, singer, TV host, and celebrity Keke Palmer once had a loving relationship with former football player Darius Jackson before a tweet revealed that trouble was brewing in their two-year relationship, which started in 2021. Palmer usually keeps her romantic relationships out of the public eye due to the pressures of being scrutinized by the media.
However, she fell in love with Jackson, and they went public with their relationship a few months before sharing they were expecting a child together. Little Did fans know Palmer and Jackson were in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship that led to their break up in October 2023. Here is a timeline of how their relationship started and eventually ended.
How Did Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Meet?
Palmer and Jackson met at an Insecure after-party in May 2021. She had recently appeared in the series, while Jackson’s brother had a recurring role in the HBO show as Alejandro Peña. Palmer recalls that when she first saw him, she thought he was attractive, but upon talking to him, he was charming to her. She wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, but it ended up starting their romantic dalliance.
When Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Make Their Relationship Official?
A few months later, Palmer, the more prominent celebrity of the pair with over a million Instagram followers, made her relationship official by posting a kissing photo from her 28th birthday party. In October, the couple was photographed together looking in love at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles. In an interview with Bustle in March 2022, Palmer said that she was the happiest she had ever been with Jackson, and that’s why she decided to make their relationship official in public, too. She didn’t want only to share her work like she used to but also the person who brought so much joy into her life.
The SNL Pregnancy Announcement
In December 2022, while hosting Saturday Night Live, Palmer told the world she was expecting her first child through a baby bump reveal. It was shocking news because she had kept it hidden very well from her fans and the media. Later that month, Jackson shared a photo of him kissing her baby bump on his Instagram and captioned it, “Mom n dad”. The couple hosts a baby shower with a jungle theme or their baby on the way. This gallery included photos and videos of the pair dancing and having a good time with their friends. Palmer and Jackson welcomed their first son, Leodis Andrellton Jackson, in February 2023.
How Did the Usher Concert Incident Affect Their Relationship?
Palmer and Jackson seemed to be happy parents living their best lives and caring for the new addition to their family. When Keke shared videos of her having a good time at Usher’s residency in Las Vegas, Jackson took to Twitter to shame her for her dress choice for the event. He wrote, “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom”. At first, fans thought he was joking, but a series of tweets followed that made fans realise he was serious. Maybe there was already trouble in paradise? After backlash from fans and almost everyone on the internet, Jackson doubled down, saying, “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 & gets told how much of a hater he is”. These words were surprising because Jackson wasn’t married to Palmer despite saying she was his representation and he had standards and morals to follow. It was rich because if he had morals, he would have married Palmer before having a child with her.
Keke Palmer Moves On
Palmer is the queen when it comes to moving on swiftly. She went on to book more gigs and continued creating projects for her media company, where Jackson was employed as an actor. Jackson took a break from Twitter, seemingly deactivating his account, but would later return to the platform. On his Instagram, Jackson would remove all his photos of Palmer and unfollow her. Palmer dropped merchandise and released a song with Usher, which some fans thought was childish, but it was a good marketing strategy for her music because of the ongoing drama. Videos of the couple discussing their relationship on Keke’s podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer, resurfaced, where Jackson shares his struggles with dating a celebrity. He says that he had to hold perfect standards for himself and held Palmer to the same because now they had the whole world looking.
Palmer Celebrates Her Birthday With Jackson
Palmer and Jackson went on Instagram Live during her 30th birthday. Palmer thanked Jackson for taking her out during her birthday and said it was sweet. Jackson refers to her as his partner in crime, but when Palmer asks him to say the same thing about her, he struggles to come up with much more than she is just a Virgo. They attended Beyoncé’s Renaissance together, seemingly confirming rumors that they were working on their relationship. Palmer would later tell fans to mind their business when asked about her relationship in an interview on Today with Hoda & Jenna.
Keke Palmer Files For a Restraining Order
In November 2023, Palmer filed for a restraining order against Jackson and requested sole custody of their son. The judge granted her both, and court documents revealed that Palmer accused Jackson of physically and emotionally abusing her throughout their two-year relationship. She also attached video evidence, which was later released to the public, of him dragging her across the couch, punching her in her home, and stealing her phone. Palmer would later share that her life was unravelling, although fans thought that because of reality TV, every celebrity’s personal life was just a marketing strategy.
Palmer’s mother, Jackson, and Jackson’s brother would later go on a Twitter fight, sharing phone recordings of Palmer’s mother threatening to kill Jackson if he ever laid another hand on her daughter. Jackson’s brother was also outed by his baby mama for being abusive to her and trying to take their daughter away. More information leaked about Jackson’s mother taking a restraining order against their father because he was abusive to her. The restraining order is still in effect. After news of the restraining order broke, Jackson would share a picture of his son on Twitter captioned, “I love you, son. See you soon”.
Together with the restraining order, the court also denied Jackson any visitation rights during this time. Jackson has recently come forward requesting the restraining order against him to be dropped and alleges that Palmer also abused him in newly filed documents. According to Complex, the couple agreed to postpone their court appearance scheduled for December 5 to attend mediation instead.
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