Photo-illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
Keke Palmer filed a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson on Thursday, alleging that throughout their two-year relationship he physically and emotionally abused her. Palmer is also seeking sole custody of their 8-month-old son, Leodis.
According to People, In the filing, Palmer alleges that during their relationship there were “numerous instances of physical violence,” including Jackson “grabbing me by the neck, destroying my personal property, including diaries and glasses prescription, throwing my stuff in the street, throwing my car keys. stopping me from driving away, hitting me in front of our son, spitting insults about me to our son, threatening to kill himself with a gun if I left him, harassment and other physical and emotional abuse.
Although the relationship apparently ended in October, Palmer says the abuse did not. On Sunday, she said, “Darius broke into my home without my knowledge or consent, threatened me, then physically attacked me – lunged at my neck, punched me, threw over the couch and stole my phone when I told him I was.” I’ll call the police. According to People, the deposit includes screenshots of security camera footage showing a man hitting a woman on a couch.
Describing another incident of abuse that she says took place in February 2022, Palmer alleges that Jackson “threw her down the stairs by her neck.” Two months later, while they were at a restaurant together, Jackson allegedly became angry with Palmer and accused her of flirting with a woman, leading the two to leave. When they got home, Palmer says, “Darius took my glasses, threw them on the ground and stomped on them. He then opened my bag, threw all my belongings on the sidewalk in the rain and threw my car keys across the parking lot before getting into his own car and driving off.
Palmer says the abuse wasn’t just physical. “Darius would ‘love bomb’ me and make me feel like the most important woman in the world, only to become extremely distant and cold in the face of a perceived insult to him. If we were at a party or event and I talked too long with one person or looked at someone “a certain way”, they would storm off and tell me I was a ” slut” and a “whore”, accusing me of cheating on him and that I didn’t love him. Darius had a way of gaslighting me to make me feel like I was doing something wrong even though I wasn’t.
The public got a glimpse of the apparent instability of Palmer and Jackson’s relationship over the summer when Jackson commented on a photo of Palmer, body-shaming her for an outfit she wore to an Usher concert. Following that incident, fans speculated that the two had broken up, but, according to the filing, the relationship ended “for good” in October.
The Cut has reached out to a representative for Jackson for comment and will update this post as soon as we hear back.