Keke Palmer and her boyfriend Darius Jackson have allegedly ended their relationship after two years of dating, according to reports.
A source told People that Jackson has reportedly “moved on” after he made headlines when he publicly criticised Palmer on Twitter for wearing a sheer black dress while attending Usher’s Las Vegas residency.
But Darius Jackson has since disputed this source. On Friday, above a gif of Forrest Gump, he wrote on Twitter: “I haven’t spoken to anyone about anything or gave permission to anyone to speak for me... So all these sites & post about me making any type of statement is false.”
The pair began dating after meeting at a Memorial Day party in May 2021, and in December of that year, Palmer revealed that she was expecting a child as she made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live. The actress gave birth to their son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton, in February 2022. They are now reportedly committed to co-parenting after the drama.
The Nope actress had attended the Usher show with a group of friends, and at one point, Palmer danced with the R&B singer as he serenaded her.
A video of Palmer and Usher dancing was posted online, which prompted Jackson’s reaction, but his condemnation of his ex-girlfriend’s look was met with widespread backlash. In a series of since-deleted tweets, Jackson first wrote: “It’s the outfit though... you a mom."
He then defended his stance in a second tweet, writing: "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," the 29-year-old fitness instructor added. Just one day after the backlash, the former football player scrubbed his social media of photos of him and Palmer and deleted his Twitter account.
Initially, Palmer didn’t comment on her estranged boyfriend’s remarks, and instead, posted about her night out seemingly unbothered. In an Instagram post, the actress wrote below a photo carousel of her outfit: “I wish I had taken more pictures but we were running late!”
“I am telling y’all right now, if you haven’t seen @usher YOU MUST GO!! HE WAS SO FABULOUS!!” the Hustlers actress continued to gush. “Giving theater, Atlanta downnn, tips and tricks and just absolutely iconic. I was truly inspired as a performer. I whooped some a** in spades too! Where is that pic of us all together with the King himself??”
After Jackson’s comments went viral, Usher reached out to Palmer to take advantage of the “pop moment” and collaborate for his music video for his new song “Boyfriend.” The video was filmed in Las Vegas and includes sly lyrics like: “Somebody said that your boyfriend’s looking for me / Oh that’s cool.”
When asked about the controversy, Usher told People that it was a “moment worth talking about”.
"I think everybody’s vision or a version of what they felt happened there just leads you back to just really having a good time in Las Vegas.” The pop star continued: “And that’s what I hope came out of it. Rather, it was a conversation of what was going on with us having fun in front of the audience or conversation about that song.”
As of now, neither Palmer nor Jackson have confirmed whether they have ended their relationship.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Palmer for comment.
