Keke Palmer talks 'misogyny' amid Darius Jackson abuse drama

Keke Palmer poses with a serious face and slicked-back hair, wearing a low-cut black gown and large hoop earrings

Nov. 29, 2023 3:29 PM PT

Keke Palmer is contemplating the role mental health plays in personal relationships after breaking things off with ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson, whom she accused of abuse nearly three weeks ago.

The “Nope” start got candid with her mother, Sharon, as she reflected on her upbringing and experiences with misogyny in the latest episode of her “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast released Tuesday. Palmer, whose two-year romance with Jackson faced social media scrutiny, admitted she had “been really naive.”

“My dad is great and my uncles are great, so misogyny came at me hard and quick with the quickness,” she said.

First, Palmer spoke to her mother about how her parents had moved beyond generations of negative behavior (“verbal abuse”) and learned to respect each other. The Palmer household was one of compromise and communication, the mother-daughter duo said. Beyond the family home was a different case for Palmer.

“When I entered outside of my household and I saw that everybody doesn’t really respect their wives or even women in the way my dad respects my mom, it’s a pretty rude awakening,” she said.

In the nearly hourlong episode, Palmer did not directly mention Jackson, who is the father of her 9-month-old son, Leodis Andrellton. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted Palmer full custody of baby Leodis and a temporary restraining order against Jackson on Nov. 9.

In her restraining order request and declaration, the 30-year-old actor alleged that on Nov. 5 Jackson, 29, “trespassed into my home without my knowledge or consent, threatened me, then physically attacked me.” Palmer’s court documents also included screenshots of surveillance video showing Jackson’s alleged trespassing.

Palmer accused the former football player of entering her home looking for their son, to watch a football game, despite no agreed-upon plans. However, the child was with Palmer’s sister. After she requested multiple times that Jackson leave her home, Palmer said, he allegedly “lunged at me, grabbing at my neck and face.”

In her declaration, which also detailed an incident in February 2022, Palmer said she had experienced “many instances of physical violence” with Jackson for more than two years. Palmer and Jackson began dating in June 2021, and their relationship “finally ended for good” in October.

Palmer, who was raised Christian, said during her podcast that she had learned that “all could be forgiven.

“In reality and in modern times, that is hard,” she added. “It’s hard to live by that.”

She continued: “When you do live through forgiveness and accepting people who they are ... sometimes you are hurt, sometimes you’re ridiculed, sometimes you’re persecuted, sometimes they attack you because everybody don’t want to embrace love. The more that they reject love, the more that they hate themselves.”

For the second half of the episode, Palmer spoke to celebrity doctor David Drew Pinsky, better known as “Dr. Drew.” They engaged in complex conversations about mental health buzzwords, boundaries and narcissism.

Palmer, who said she has seen therapists since she was 17, said she had “experienced some terrible things” because of her compassion for others. She brought the mental health discussion to a close with a final question, asking, “How do you know when you’re the issue?”

“The person who is reevaluating themselves, trying to do what’s right, contemplating they could be doing what’s wrong — that is rarely the person who’s doing wrong,” Dr. Drew replied. “It’s the person who has irrational certitude.”

The same day Palmer filed her restraining order request, Jackson posted a photo of himself with baby Leodis to his now-deactivated X (formerly Twitter) account. “I love you, son. See you soon,” he captioned the since-deleted picture.

Jackson also wiped a majority of his Instagram account, erasing any trace of his relationship with Palmer. As of Wednesday afternoon, Jackson had restored several Instagram posts, including those featuring Leodis.

Most recently, Jackson shared a video and several photos of Leodis with his family, including his brother, “Insecure” actor Sarunas Jackson.

“Always thankful for you, my son. Happy Thanksgiving,” he captioned his Thursday post.

A hearing on whether to make the restraining order against Jackson permanent is set for Tuesday.