Keke Palmer acknowledges fans saw right through her rocky relationship with ex Darius Jackson.
The star, who’s about to appear in the buddy comedy One of Them Days, touched on her split with Jackson during a fresh chat with The Cut, addressing why people called it “toxic.”
“That word gets thrown around a lot,” Palmer shared with the outlet. “But honestly, sometimes there’s just no better way to describe such a toxic situation.”
Keke and Jackson, who have a baby boy Leodis together, had a rough ending in late 2023. She accused him of abuse, leading to messy legal drama over restraining orders and custody rights. The pair eventually worked it out in mediation and dropped the case.
“You catch yourself saying stuff like ‘I know you’re better than this,’ or ‘This isn’t really you,’ or ‘Deep down you’re a good person,'” Palmer told The Cut, reflecting on how she’d justify Jackson’s behavior. “You find all these ways to excuse stuff that could’ve just… stopped.”
Palmer wasn’t feeling the public spotlight on her relationship drama with Jackson. “That was my private mess. It shouldn’t have overshadowed what I worked so hard to make uplifting and empowering,” she shared.
“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.”
The trouble between Palmer and Jackson first caught fans’ eyes when he publicly criticized her for rocking a sheer dress at Usher’s Vegas show in summer 2023.
Back in October, Palmer sounded more hopeful about co-parenting with Jackson, who’s now in the military, during her People magazine cover interview.
“I wish I could say he was terrible the entire time or that I was … but it wasn’t that black-and-white and that was the problem,” Palmer told the publication. “I didn’t want my son to think his father is a monster, because I don’t.”
