Keke Palmer Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
First-time mom! Keke Palmer and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, have welcomed their first child together, they announced on Monday, February 27.
Palmer and Jackson, both 29, revealed their baby boy in a set of photos via Instagram. “Born during Black History Month, with a name to match !” the Nope actress captioned the photos. “LEODIS ANDRELLTON JACKSON, welcome to the world baby Leo.”
Courtesy of Keke Palmer/Instagram
The former Nickelodeon star first shared the news of her pregnancy live on air during her Saturday Night Live monologue in December 2022.
“There’s some rumors going around, people have been in my comments saying, ‘Keke’s having a baby, Keke’s pregnant,’ and I wanna set the record straight,” Palmer quipped during the NBC broadcast. “I am,” she confirmed before revealing her bump to the audience.
She continued to joke with the crowd: “I mean, like, I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low, ‘cause I got a lot of stuff going on, you know? People kept coming up to me [and saying,] ‘Congratulations.’ I’m like, ‘Sssh, can y’all stop? I got a liquor sponsorship on the line. Let the check clear and then we can get to the damn baby shower!’”
Palmer and Jackson first began dating in summer 2021, shortly after Jackson’s brother, Sarunas Jackson, starred in Insecure with Palmer.
The pair have been notoriously private with their relationship ever since but have shared glimpses via social media.
“You’ve been a blessing from above,” Darius wrote in a since-deleted post via Instagram when the couple confirmed their relationship in August 2021. “Never would have expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did, but here we are. I’m glad we were able to help each other throughout our lowest of times & show one another that what we are bringing to the table is everything that we got.”
Courtesy of Darius Jackson/Instagram
The Hustlers actress, who has previously been open about her fears of dating people in the industry, opened up about her beau during the Tamron Hall Show. “I’ve always been somebody that hasn’t wanted too much industry stuff in my life,” she said in November 2021. “[Darius is] very industry-adjacent, meaning he understands it but that’s not what he’s about. We spend all this time together, and he really is my closest friend.”
Shortly after sharing her pregnancy news, Palmer gushed over the fitness instructor. “Thank you to my other half @dvulton for giving me the things that only true unity can bring,” she wrote via Instagram on December 5. “Love is all we have isn’t it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone!”
Before Jackson, Palmer was linked to musician Styn, Rodney King, Quincy Brown and YG.