Keke Palmer Reflects On 'Toxic' Relationship With Ex Darius Jackson: 'You Can Make So Many Excuses'

Keke Palmer knows how “toxic” her former relationship with Darius Jackson appeared to fans.

The young media mogul, 31, recently took a moment to reflect on her ex while promoting her upcoming buddy comedy, “One of Them Days,” co-starring singer SZA.

Palmer and Jackson share a son, Leodis, who will celebrate his first birthday this February.

Keke Palmer Speaks On The ‘Toxic Dynamic’ Between Herself And Darius Jackson

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Palmer and Jackson, a fitness instructor, were said to have begun dating in 2021. She would reveal her pregnancy a year later while hosting “Saturday Night Live.”

Following a now-infamous public shaming on X (formerly Twitter) in 2023 when Jackson called out the “True Jackson, VP” star over a bodysuit she wore to an Usher concert - “It’s the outfit though… you a mom” – fans began to worry that Palmer’s pairing with Jackson could be toxic.

That assumption would be confirmed when Palmer filed a restraining order against Jackson later that year, alleging physical and emotional abuse.

Speaking to The Cut, Palmer claims she initially had difficulty accepting the harsh reality of her relationship with Jackson.

“There’s a [sensationalizing] that happens with that word,” she says. “But there really are often no other words to describe such a toxic dynamic.”

Palmer admits that giving birth to her son was the wake-up call she needed to leave the relationship, “before it had the chance of becoming something that I had to survive.”