Keke Palmer ‘Hated’ The Media Attention Garnered From Her ‘Toxic Dynamic’ With Darius Jackson

Keke Palmer‘s relationship took a front seat in the media back in 2023, and the actress said she hated the attention it garnered in a recent interview with The Cut. The 31-year-old artist had a public fallout with her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, Darius Jackson, after he publicly scrutinized her wardrobe choice for an Usher concert. As the story unfolded, the actress also accused Jackson of domestic violence and was granted a restraining order, putting her at the forefront of conversations around domestic violence and abuse.

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

“You can say, ‘I know you’re not like that,’ or ‘I know it’s not like this,’ or ‘I know you’re a good person deep down.’ You can make so many excuses for behavior that could have stopped,” The Nope actress added. 

Palmer discussed how much she hated the media attention that came with the details of her relationship being shared with the public. The mother of one was concerned about how it would impact the brand that she’s worked decades to build.

“It was my personal junk. It didn’t deserve a place in the center of something that I worked very hard to make encouraging and empowering,” she explained. 

“When it was happening, it was horrible because I could not get to the message of the story in real-time. Now, I’m able to articulate it, and I’m able to say what the story will be.”

In terms of what motivated the singer to end toxic dynamic, she said her son Leodis gave her the strength she needed to leave the relationship  “before it had the chance of becoming something that I had to survive.” 

The Nickelodeon actress gave birth to Leo on Feb 25th, 2023 and often expresses how transformative becoming a mother has been for her. 

“I just love my son so much. 🥹🫶🏾♥️🙌🏾👶🏾🎶♓️,” Palmer wrote on Instagram in a caption early 2024. “I don’t think our children will ever know the things we’ve overcome within ourselves just to rise to the occasion of being their parent. And they don’t have to, it’s not a burden to bear!”

Palmer added, “One day he will be a grown man and have his own life and his own family and it will be a joy to see him carry on his teachings and share that freedom with the next generation..”

Jackson and Palmer are now on good terms and peacefully co-parenting their son. We love to hear it!