Keke Palmer is seeking a restraining order against Darius Jackson and requesting sole custody of their 8-month-old son, Leodis.
Palmer, 30, accused Jackson, 29, of abusing her multiple times over the course of their two-year relationship in court documents filed on Thursday, November 9, and reviewed by Us Weekly.
Palmer claimed that she has security footage from a November 5 incident in which Jackson “trespassed into my home without my knowledge or consent” and “threatened” her before “lunging for my neck, striking me, throwing me over the couch and stealing my phone.”
She went on to allege that there have been “many instances of physical violence” with Jackson that include “destroying my personal property, including diaries and prescription eyeglasses, throwing my belongings into the street, throwing my car keys to prevent me from driving away, hitting [me] in front of our son, spewing profanities about me to our son, threatening to kill himself with a gun if I left him, harassment, and other physical and emotional abuse.”
In her declaration, Palmer said that her relationship with Jackson “finally ended for good” in early October “primarily due to the physical and emotional abuse inflicted” on her by him.
Palmer’s filing comes after months of speculation about her and Jackson’s relationship status following his comments about Palmer’s attire at an Usher concert. In the photos from the Sin City outing, Palmer was wearing a black bodysuit with a sheer black polka dot cover-up.
“It’s the outfit tho … you a mom,” Jackson wrote via X (formerly Twitter) in July.
Following online backlash, Jackson doubled down on his opinion before deleting his social media accounts. “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 added at the time. “This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Palmer, for her part, didn’t directly address Jackson’s eyebrow-raising posts but continued to share photos of herself from the event.
“I wish I had taken more pictures but we were running late! I am telling y’all right now, if you haven’t seen @usher YOU MUST GO!! HE WAS SO FABULOUS!! Giving theater, Atlanta downnn, tips and tricks and just absolutely iconic,” she captioned an Instagram post. “I was truly inspired as a performer. I whooped some ass in spades too! Where is that pic of us all together with the King himself??”
One month later, Palmer teamed up with Usher, 45, for the “Boyfriend” music video, which referenced Jackson’s comments about her outfit. “What time is it?” Palmer asked at the end of the clip. “Damn it, I missed the show. I’m so tired. I’m a mother, after all.”
In August, an insider exclusively told Us that Palmer and Jackson’s dynamic was “complicated” after the Usher drama. “It’s their own lives. Those close to them hope they can work things out for the sake of themselves and their child,” the source explained. “They have to resolve things on their own.”
The following month, Palmer brushed off a question about whether she was still dating Jackson. “I’m going to take a page out of Beyoncé’s book — mind y’all’s business,” Palmer quipped during an interview on Today With Hoda & Jenna. “Yes, life is good. I have nothing but gratitude, honestly. Seriously.”
Palmer and Jackson, who started dating in August 2021, originally attempted to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.
“It became more difficult to hide,” Palmer said on The Tamron Hall Show in November 2021. “We spend all this time together, and he really is my closest friend, so it just becomes a thing where I’m not gonna hide something that makes me happy.”
She added: “It’s not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job. But at the end of the day this is somebody that is important to me so why not.”
The former Nickelodeon star shocked fans when she announced her pregnancy while hosting Saturday Night Live in December 2022. Leo was born two months later.
“Leo’s got a lively personality, and he keeps Keke and Darius on their toes,” an insider told Us in February. “The sleepless nights have been a struggle.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
