Just before Darius Jackson went viral for disparaging partner Keke Palmer’s wardrobe choices, the new parents openly discussed challenges they’d faced in their relationship. On the latest episode of Palmer’s podcast, “Baby, This is Keke Palmer,” Jackson shared how overwhelming and intense it felt when the couple went public.
“It’s like, you almost feel that pressure of needing to be perfect,” said Jackson, per People magazine. “And so, it really confused me and infiltrated my mind because not only did I have to hold myself to that perfect standard, [but] I was also holding you to a perfect standard as well.”
He went on to say, “So, any moment of flaw on my side or on your side, it was World War III because it’s like…”
“… And now the world sees us,” Palmer interjected.
The couple met and began dating in 2021 and celebrated the birth of their first child, Leodis Andrellton Jackson (a.k.a Leo), in February of this year. Since going public with their relationship, Palmer explained on the podcast how the couple balances collaborating on projects and sharing private moments they are proud of.
“It’s a lot of pressure because we are very proud, and there are things that we want to share,” she explained. “At the same time, we do want to be able to maintain the privacy of our relationship, and I feel like we’ve done such a good job at being able to do that.”
However, last week the couple’s relationship became the center of public discourse when Jackson tweeted his disdain for Palmer’s outfit during a girls’ night out at an Usher concert. After judging the new mother’s choice to wear a sheer black dress to the show, he defended his comment in a follow-up tweet:
“We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife [and] mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others [and] he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family [and] my representation. I have standards [and] morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Days after the social media uproar, Palmer posted an Instagram video featuring their infant son, captioning the post: “One thing is certain, and one thing is true, IM A MOTHA, through and through! 😍. […] To all my [moms] out there, how did your baby change you?? Mine empowered me! On such another level, my perspective changed because when my baby is good, I’m GREAT!”
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