Keke Palmer reflects on 'toxic' pairing with ex Darius Jackson

The budding media mogul, 31, recently took a moment to reflect on her ex while promoting her upcoming buddy comedy One of Them Days, which stars singer SZA.

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

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

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

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

Talking to CutoutPalmer claims that she initially struggled to accept the harsh reality of her relationship with Jackson.

“There's something (sensationalizing) going on with that word,” she says. “But really, there are often no other words to describe such a toxic dynamic.”

Palmer admits that having her son was the wake-up call she needed to get out of the relationship “before it had a chance to become something I had to live with.”

For years, Palmer says she did everything she could to justify Jackson's behavior, which she attributes to observing others while neglecting her own needs.

“You can say, 'I know you're not like that,' or 'I know you're not,' or 'I know you're a good person deep down,'” she now realizes, adding, “You can find so a lot of excuses for behavior that could have ended.”

Even as an alleged victim of domestic violence, Palmer was more concerned about how Jackson's abuse might make fans feel sorry for her – something she never wanted.

“I hated it,” she admits. “It was my personal junk. It didn't deserve a place at the center of something I worked very hard to make encouraging and empowering.

Despite being spotted celebrating Palmer's birthday and Jackson's recent enlistment in the military, the two remain separated while “peacefully raising” their son.

Palmer also elaborated on the situation, following a wave of headlines generated by an alleged conversation on the set of Ryan Murphy's 2015 horror-comedy series Scream Queens.

According to Palmer's 2023 memoir, Master of Me, the moment came after she tried to defuse tensions between two feuding white co-stars. One of those stars, who Palmer renamed Brenda in the book, then turned to Keke and said, “Keke, don't. Who are you — Martin F-King Luther King?

Palmer never directly identified the person, but says they never apologized. However, they reached out to the actress via Instagram to congratulate her on the book.

“I was like, 'Hey, thanks, that feels good,'” she revealed. “She was just checking the temperature. She knows what she did. “

As for Murphy himself, who, per An explosiononce yelled at Palmer about a pre-scheduled vacation, the producer has yet to respond to her claims – Palmer doesn't think so, anyway.

“I did what I had to do and it got me in trouble with one of the most popular and successful men in the industry,” she noted, “and sometimes success can pay you the same.'”

Palmer's life challenges and her career were central to the fight for her vision for “One of Them Days,” her first big-screen role since 2022's “No.”

As co-star and executive producer on the project, Palmer says it took nearly five years of development and four rewrites to finally arrive at the final product, a story about two friends doing their best to stay hopeful and live in the world. where gentrification is quickly becoming the norm.

“I had to be really specific about what needed to be changed,” the entertainer said, “what the jokes had said, what story we were telling about where these two characters were coming from. I was more than just an actor playing a part. I really cared about the project. in general.

Palmer's next big role, a dark comedy called I Love Boosters, has a similar theme to One of Them Days, but is ultimately about building and maintaining community.

“You can't make the world care about you. You just can't,” she notes. “But if you try your hardest, you can build a community and fight for the things you want.”

Palmer's comedy One of Those Days, starring SZA in her first role, opens in theaters on January 17, 2025. Watch the trailer above.