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Who Is Keke Palmer’s Boyfriend, Darius Jackson? Here’s What We Know

By: Karelle McKay
Published: June 16, 2023
Additional reporting by: Nakeisha Campbell

OK, who else was taken by surprise when actress Keke Palmer announced her pregnancy during her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live? During the episode, the 29-year-old actress popped her blazer open to reveal her baby bump and...the rest is history.

Now that Palmer has welcomed her baby boy, many people have started to wonder if she might be dating someone. That's when we stumbled upon the name: Darius Jackson. But who is he? And are they still dating? Here are eight facts about Keke Palmer’s boyfriend.

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1. Darius Jackson Is the Younger Brother of Insecure Actor Sarunas Jackson

Darius Jackson (who also goes by the name Darius Daulton) has a famous brother in the entertainment industry: Insecure actor Sarunas Jackson. Aside from starring in the beloved HBO series, Sarunas (32) has made appearances in shows like Good Trouble and Games People Play.

2. Darius Jackson Is a Fitness Instructor and a Writer

According to his Instagram bio, the 28-year-old enjoys creating stories and writing. He also happens to be a fitness instructor at Inspire Fitness Studio. His interest in sports drove him to pursue a career in sports media, going to school for a certificate in broadcasting.

3. He Earned a Football Scholarship and Played in College

According to his fitness bio on the Inspire Fitness Studio website, Jackson grew up playing sports and earned a football scholarship at Fresno State University.

Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

4. Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Became Instagram Official in August 2021

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Jackson dedicated a heartwarming message to Palmer during the first few months of their relationship.

“Never would have expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did, but here we are,” he wrote, according to People. “I’m glad we were able to help each other throughout our lowest of times & show one another that what we are bringing to the table is everything that we got.”

Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

5. Palmer and Jackson Initially Kept Their Relationship Private

Per US Weekly, Palmer and Jackson met at a Memorial Day party hosted by Diddy and Insecure star Issa Rae. The two reportedly started seeing each other in May 2021. Ever since, Palmer and her boyfriend have been very private about their relationship and have refrained from sharing photos together on personal social media profiles.

In March 2020, the Nope star opened up to Harper’s Bazaar about how she likes to keep her dating life off the internet. “I don’t really do relationship stuff online, mainly because I don't know how I would do it without looking, like, cheesy or something, you know?” she told the publication. “Yes, I'm a hundred percent authentic, but there is stuff that I do save for family and friends.”

6. Darius Jackson Deleted His Pics with Palmer in 2022

Speaking of keeping things low-key, both Jackson and Palmer quietly deleted all pics of each other from their Instagram pages in March 2022. And according to OK Magazine, they also unfollowed each other, sparking breakup rumors.

At the time, neither of them confirmed the split. But just a few months later, the pair shocked fans with some surprising news...

7. Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson Welcomed Their Son in February 2023

After confirming that they were expecting their first child in December 2022, the happy couple welcomed their son, Leodis "Leo" Andrellton Jackson, on February 25, 2023. On Instagram, Palmer shared a slideshow of pics featuring the newborn and wrote, "Born during Black History Month, with a name to match! LEODIS ANDRELLTON JACKSON, welcome to the world baby Leo."

8. Darius Jackson Is Currently Working on a New Film

So far, the actor has appeared in Games People Play and Ultraman: A New Chapter. Now, he's working on a new Sci-Fi movie called Dawn of the Predator, where he'll play Agent Moyo.

Per IMDB, the film will follow a group of soldiers who battle it out against deadly robots while trying to retrieve technology from an alien crash. Other cast members include Daz Crawford, Ashley Park, Ho-Sung-Pak and Leticia LaBelle.

We'll be on the lookout for more details!

Keke Palmer Announces Pregnancy by Unveiling Baby Bump During ‘SNL’ Opening Monologue

Karelle McKay

Assistant Editor, News And Entertainment

Karelle McKay is the Assistant Editor of News and Entertainment at PureWow. Before she started writing about all things pop culture, she was a literal couch potato who loved...
read full bio
Nakeisha Campbell

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Nakeisha has been interviewing celebrities and covering all things entertainment for over 8 years, but she has also written on a wide range of topics, like career...
read full bio

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