Inside Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson’s Struggles: ‘Las Vegas Was Beginning of the End,’ Says Source (Exclusive)
Palmer was granted temporary sole physical and legal custody of her son with Jackson after filing a request for a domestic violence restraining order on Thursday
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Keke Palmer and Darius JacksonThe news that Keke Palmer had been granted a temporary restraining order against ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson, as well as sole custody of their 8-month-old son Leodis, came as a shock, a source with knowledge of the relationship tells PEOPLE.
The Nope actress, 30, filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order against Jackson, 29, in Los Angeles on Thursday. 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.
“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.”
Reps for Palmer and Jackson have not responded to requests for comment from PEOPLE.
After Jackson's shaming post, fans were quick to come to Palmer’s defense. Though the pair never commented in-depth on the incident, Palmer seemed to make light of the situation by joining Usher in the video of his song “Boyfriend.” Shortly after that, she shared a video of her hanging out with Jackson on her 30th birthday.
"There was some genuine love there," says the source, who claims, "Around Leo's birth things were really good."
In September Palmer herself shared with PEOPLE that she’s had to focus more on protecting her privacy.
"I'm having my own personal boundaries for what I feel like I want out there," she said, "or what I want to give people the opportunity to speak on," she said.
This week, in response to Palmer's emergency filing, a Los Angeles County judge determined 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, documents obtained by PEOPLE indicate that Jackson is not allowed to have visitation with his son, with a hearing set for Dec. 5 to determine further action on the arrangement.
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