Keke Palmer shocked the world when she announced her first pregnancy during her SNL opening monologue this Saturday (Dec. 3). The 29-year-old actor has had one hell of a year; she starred in Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed Nope, had her first hosting gig on SNL, and now is expecting her first child. But who is the father?
Palmer and her boyfriend couple keep their relationship relatively low-key and many fans were unaware of the couple’s existence entirely. Here’s what we know about the private pair.
Who is Darius Jackson, Keke Palmer’s boyfriend?
Little is known about Jackson as his social media accounts are private but we do know he’s worked as an actor and fitness instructor at Inspire Fitness, according to his LinkedIn profile. Jackson has over six years of experience in entertainment and fitness and is pursuing a career in both fields.
He’s been featured a few times on Palmer’s social media, notably in TikTok skits and on her Instagram. But, the couple is notoriously private. In a 2020 interview, Palmer told Harper’s Bazaar she prefers to keep her love life off social media.
“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? Yes, I’m a hundred percent authentic, but there is stuff that I do save for family and friends. I do have a Finsta. Sometimes I forget to post on there ’cause I do post a lot of real moments and raw moments on my main Instagram page. But at the same time, when it comes to romance, [posting about it] doesn’t really come naturally to me, so I feel like, why force it?”
How long have the two been together?
The two are rumored to have met at a Memorial Day party hosted by Diddy and Issa Rae. Jackson’s brother, Sarunas Jackson, has appeared on HBO’s Insecure along with Rae and Palmer. The two went quietly public with their relationship shortly after when Jackson wrote a sweet birthday post for Palmer in May 2021.
“To the birthday girl…never would’ve expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did but here we are. You’ve been a blessing from above & I thank you for showing me a lot of feelings I didn’t know I had in me.”
Palmer even posted Jackson on her Instagram a few times that year, including a cute video uploaded in October, captioned, “Without being too mushy because I HATEEEE THAT, it feels really nice to not be afraid to show this kind of care for someone that I don’t share the same blood with. I thought it could never happen, I can be quite guarded, but I appreciate you for being a safe space. I will always cherish what you have given me.”
The two sparked breakup rumors earlier this year in March when they mutually unfollowed each other on social media and deleted posts. That’s generally not a good sign for many relationships but, given Palmer’s happy announcement today, it looks like all is well for the private couple.
Congratulations to the two!