Keke Palmer is feeling optimistic about the new year following her legal battle with ex Darius Jackson.
“I have never been so happy in my life!!” Palmer, 30, captioned an Instagram post on Wednesday, January 3, sharing a video of herself swimming with a sting ray. “Already 2024 has started off on the vibes I was looking for, more experiences and more enjoying what this beautiful world has to offer.”
She continued: “Look at my smile! I don’t even recognize me! I made a second connection with this girl here, I’m on clouuuuuud nine!”
Palmer’s positive message comes two months after she filed for a restraining order against Jackson and requested sole custody of their 9-month-old son, Leo. In November 2023 court docs, Palmer alleged she had security footage from an incident earlier that month 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 further claimed that she had experienced “many instances of physical violence” throughout her relationship with Jackson, accusing him of “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.”
Palmer noted in her filing that her relationship with Jackson “finally ended for good” in October 2023 “primarily due to the physical and emotional abuse inflicted” upon her.
Palmer’s temporary restraining order was granted in November 2023. Jackson was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Palmer and their son until further notice. The former couple had a court hearing scheduled for December 2023, but Palmer filed a motion to delay the proceedings until she and Jackson attended mediation.
Jackson addressed the drama in a December 2023 Instagram upload, hinting, “There’s A LOT I can say but not allowed to say. And at this point, don’t even want to say.” He subsequently filed a response to Palmer’s allegations, claiming in court docs that she was “the primary aggressor” in their relationship.
Jackson alleged that Palmer “engaged in abusive conduct during the two-and-a-half-year relationship,” both physically and verbally. He claimed Palmer “frequently became agitated and aggressive after consuming alcohol,” sharing screenshots of alleged text messages seemingly acknowledging physical altercations between them.
Palmer has yet to address Jackson’s accusations, but she’s been leaning on her friends for support post-split. “Keke has a great inner circle, and they’re all pitching in to make sure she feels supported during this transitional time,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2023.
