Last week, Keke Palmer filed for sole custody of her son Leodis and she also requested an emergency domestic violence restraining order. In her court filings, she revealed that her former partner Darius Jackson had repeatedly assaulted her and emotionally abused her, and even broken into her house after they broke up. She had physical evidence to back up everything, including security camera footage from inside her home, from cameras she must have installed after she broke up with Darius. Well, the emergency order was granted on Friday:
Keke Palmer has been granted temporary sole custody of her 8-month-old son. On Thursday, the Nope actress, 30, filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order against the infant’s father, Darius Jackson, in Los Angeles. Palmer asked the court for full physical and legal custody of Leodis, detailing multiple allegations of physical abuse in the filing, according to documents reviewed by PEOPLE.
In response to the emergency filing, the Los Angeles County judge granted a temporary restraining order that states that Jackson must stay at least 100 yards away from both the actress and their son, as well as any childcare or schooling established for the infant.
In addition to granting Palmer temporary sole physical and legal custody of Leo, the temporary restraining order states that Jackson is not allowed to have visitation with his son, with a hearing set for Dec. 5 to determine further action on the temporary arrangement.
I know there are thousands, if not millions, of horror stories of how the legal system compounds abuse as battered women try to navigate a broken system, BUT it does feel like there are some smaller changes in certain areas, where judges are starting to understand that they need to take this sh-t more seriously. I absolutely hope that the courts take Keke seriously and take the evidence she’s compiled into account. Meanwhile, People Mag had this very depressing story about how Darius’s online freakout about Keke going to Vegas (over the summer) was the beginning of the end.
“This is a big surprise,” says the source, who claims Jackson and Palmer appeared publicly amicable late last month during an event in Los Angeles for her streaming network KeyTV. “The baby was there, everybody. Darius went to support her, they were all congratulating her.”
However, the insider acknowledges there have been issues in their relationship in the past. The pair, who reportedly met in 2021 while attending a Memorial Day party hosted by Issa Rae and Diddy, had navigated tough times over the years, according to the source.
“There was at least one breakup, before the Vegas incident,” says the source, referring to the public drama that unfolded this past July after Palmer attended Usher’s Vegas residency, where she was serenaded by the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime performer. At the time, Jackson publicly called her out for her outfit by quoting a tweet showing a video of Palmer dancing with Usher and writing: “It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom.”
Says the source: “I don’t think the Vegas incident caused all of this. There were problems before, but I do think it was the beginning of the end.”
“There was some genuine love there,” says the source, who claims, “Around Leo’s birth things were really good.”
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but regular old bystanders have no place to talk about how “there was genuine love there” once a woman files for an emergency protective order after her former partner repeatedly assaulted her. Like, was it love or was it love-bombing? Was he “supporting” her or was he keeping tabs on his victim? His abuse had gotten so bold that he felt perfectly comfortable shaming her outfit when she had a girls’ trip to Vegas! That was how he punished her because she A) went out with her girlfriends and B) flirted with Usher.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Getty.
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- New York City, NY – Keke Palmer at her Webster Hall performance in New York City during her Big Boss Tour. Pictured: Keke Palmer BACKGRID USA 24 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York City, NY – Keke Palmer at her Webster Hall performance in New York City during her Big Boss Tour. Pictured: Keke Palmer BACKGRID USA 24 SEPTEMBER 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
One of those videos is from 2022 – before she was even pregnant. So this abuse has been going on for a long time, and she has had the cameras throughout the relationship. Hopefully, she has plenty of evidence and security to keep him away forever.
That is so sad. She was with him for far too long. If only ladies would leave after the first assault. So glad she recorded everything. It would be 1,000 times worse for her if she didn’t have proof. Hoping she never has to see him again.
Simultaneously far too long and barely any time at all.
If they met at a Memorial Day party (late May 2021), he was moved into her home and she was pregnant barely a year later. Leodis was born in February ’23, so Keke likely got pregnant early to mid May 2022.
I hope she and her family stay safe and well protected.
It’s really important to not say things about how long people stay in abusive relationships. Abusers are very good at isolating people and making victims feel like they’re to blame. To say that someone stayed for too long or that someone should’ve left earlier is a different way of making victims responsible and carry shame; the only person who did anything to cause the situation and perpetuate it is the abuser.
@Barbie1 it’s not about DV survivors leaving after the first assault. It’s about a society that normalises abuse by victim blaming, not believing survivors and not providing enough support for survivors to be able to leave. We also don’t have a nuanced understanding of abuse and how damaging emotional abuse can be.
The most dangerous time for a survivor is when they’ve left their abuser. The abuser’s violence escalates and far too often they murder womxn. There are million reasons womxn don’t leave and that’s just one of them.
It’s not about whether a survivor should leave. It’s about why an abuser feels comfortable behaving that way in the first place and what we can do so less people become abusers in the first place.
It’s also about providing better funding to shelters, hotlines etc… so if a womxn is able to leave she can do so safely. And making sure she doesn’t feel completely isolated regardless of whether she leaves or stays.
@BANDIT True
@Bandit You are absolutely correct. I am in the middle of divorce proceedings from an emotionally abusive husband. I didn’t think it was abuse-abuse until I started really, honestly talking about it to my therapist. My husband refuses to move out, and also won’t let me leave with the kids to a shelter. Because there is no *physical* violence, it is very hard to prove anything. Getting out safely is dangerous, and, like many women, I have no family to lean on for support, no money despite being an educated person, and absolutely no place to go. The women’s shelter I called yesterday has no space available, so the only thing they can do is provide phone support. Until I meet whatever of his ever-changing parameters for my husband to move out, I’m stuck in an emotionally dangerous situation. And I can’t force it through the courts because then the agreements we’ve made are at risk if he starts retaliating. So my best option is to try to placate him as best I can. The resources for women escaping abuse are not as abundant as one would believe until one is faced with these circumstances.
I’m so glad Keke was granted sole custody and has proof.
If only ladies would leave BEFORE the first assault—before it even gets serious.
@Bisynaptic Do educate yourself thoroughly on abuse dynamics so that you do not spout harmful words which blame victims for being abused.
@bisynaptic
It’s easy to say that looking in at the end result from the outside
My exhusband didn’t punch me on the first date. Or the second date.
Between the day I met him and the first time he punched me, he insidiously worked his way into every facet of my life and started wedging out others.
The control was first presented as concern. Where are you going? Who are you going with? You know, the weather might be bad tonight so I worry. I don’t like your friend, I think they’re bringing you down. Your parents are too involved in your life, you’re an adult right? Your job causes you so much stress, that can’t be good for you, I’ll take care of you, I promise.
Then it was I didn’t mean it baby, I don’t know what came over me, I am so sorry, I love you so much, I’ll make it up to you.
Followed by why do you make me do these things? You know how I get upset when you do such and such, so why do you do it? You made me do this to you, it’s your fault.
And there’s no one to call. Because he’s isolated you and people have told you about him, warned you about him, so now you feel ashamed. He’s the only one that loves you, you can be better, act better, do better, so you don’t make him mad.
He didn’t punch me on the first date. Or the second.
@meh – I was in the same place you are 30 years ago. It was a long, ugly haul and worth everything I had to do to get out, and 13 years after walking out (he figured I’d never take him up on the ultimatum the delivered via phone), I spent 11 years running a state- funded program for people in our situation (until a Republican governor and legislature got elected and defunded it). If there is a displaced homemaker program anywhere near you, make an appointment. The DV program might know of one, or your local tech school.
It must be nice to be capable of such judgment and simultaneous lack of understanding of the dynamics of abusive relationships, as well as the societal pressure on women to “fix” bad men.
Shame on People Magazine for including that piece about genuine love. They have to learn how to write about abusive relationships better.
Yeah their coverage was repulsive. I’m so glad that Keke has protective orders and enough concrete evidence that there is no ambiguity to get her more long term protection from this guy.
Absolutely! Once someone has been granted an emergency restraining order for extensively documented abuse it’s OK to stop soft pedaling the other party People Mag! If you want to say the break up was complicated because she had genuine love for him OK understood, but we don’t need that almost both-sides BS at this point!
I’m glad Keke got a win, and may she and Leo continue to be protected by a system that usually fails victims of DV.
Keke and Darius met at a Diddy/ Issa Rae party? The source is most likely a powerful friend of Darius, because People is usually celebrity friendly and Keke is the star in this relationship. It sucks that People has decided to appease the friend, and that “friend” is acting against Keke’s interests. People shouldn’t print that isht!
There are still images from the security videos online and they are horrific. I don’t think there’s been any change in attitudes towards DV, it’s just that the victim in this case had such irrefutable evidence – and it seems that is what victims need just to be believed by law enforcement or courts.
Also, Jackson made a comment to the effect of “I’ll see you soon, son” on social media. I read that as a direct threat to Keke and I hope she has good, armed security around her.
I agree that attitudes are still shitty and it’s that she has too much concrete evidence of his abuse for the legal system to be able to brush off her claims.
Sadly, I agree with this statement.
“I don’t think there’s been any change in attitudes towards DV, it’s just that the victim in this case had such irrefutable evidence.”
That statement on twitter absolutely was a threat to her.
Right, she has multiple videos that are time and date stamped of her being abused in her home. They basically have no choice but to believe her. Without those videos? It would still all be he said she said, and the courts absolutely wouldn’t have responded as quick. Good for her for filing, and for having the tapes. I hope she and the baby stay safe.
According to Palmer, this man also told her that a “man’s love for his child is tied to his love for the mother”—which, spelled out, is a pretty explicit threat that if Palmer ever stepped out of line, there would be direct repercussions to the child’s well-being. (In addition, D.J. conveyed actual rage toward the baby’s cries when diapers needed changing.)
This man has threatened both mother and son repeatedly.
That was chilling.
Darius and his brother both need to stop abusing Keke and her mom online.How can anyone defend him, having seen those photos!!
“Around Leo’s birth things were really good.”
Because he believed he had her trapped and she couldn’t leave with a baby no matter how violent he got. That’s the rest of that sentence “source”.
“His abuse had gotten so bold that he felt perfectly comfortable shaming her outfit when she had a girls’ trip to Vegas! ”
That part. Many of us clocked that he was likely abusive from that one tweet alone.
He’s human trash.
Truly this. That tweet set off alarms for a lot of people.
I hope she is safe and well and is surrounding herself with healing and people she trusts.
Right. And, I had a FB friend post some meme about ‘Ya’ll cheered Keke into single motherhood’. The few women that pushed back were lectured about respect for your partner. We all knew it’s not the comment, it’s not the clothes, it’s that that behavior from your partner is indicative of control and abuse.
Thank God Keke was granted protection and custody. That man is a clear and present danger to her and her family. I am 100 convinced he would have killed her. I am also not sure if he will ever stop but I hope so. She will need security. He must never be around the baby.
Unfortunately, unless he ends up convicted of a felony, CA courts will end up giving him at least some custody, and their reasoning will be that “he didn’t abuse his son, only her”.
I speak from experience!
The Piqui’s Law,” was just passed in California which takes into account the history of abusive parents like domestic abuse training when it comes to child custody/visitation.
I hope she and the baby stay safe.
I really wish we lived in a world where women didn’t have to show everyone the videos of their abuse to be believed.
I’m glad this first step worked out for her and I hope she has a strong support system.
I am happy that she was able to get away and hopefully has the security and support she needs to keep her and her child safe. Just yesterday in my area a woman went to the police to file a report against her ex and was dead on her doorstep 40 minutes later. These people aren’t working with a full deck and the police don’t always take victims seriously.
Wow. This is wild.
I was raised in an abusive household and witnessed my father beating up my mother often.
Every day I’m grateful I married a kind, patient person.
My friend’s sister just recently returned to her abuser – at the encouragement of her own parents. There are only girls in the family, so the sisters are all boycotting Thanksgiving bc their sister will be bringing her kids and her abuser along and their parents are fully fine with it. It was the first time that we all know of that this guy did something to her.My friend’s sister had a full mental break and actually needs to receive care but the parents are ignoring that too. They told her to make amends with her abuser bc THEY don’t want to support her and her kids (who are very very young) until she gets herself right again. Just disgusting to me.
Good on her to have compiled all of this evidence. That guy is clearly an idiot for shaming her publicly and thinking that he would get away with the abuse.