Keke Palmer accuses Darius Jackson of abuse in restraining order

Keke Palmer looks to the side while posing in a silver jacket and dangly earrings.

Nov. 10, 2023 Updated 10:20 AM PT

Keke Palmer is taking legal action against Darius Jackson, the father of her son. The “Hustlers” actor filed a request for a restraining order against her once-boyfriend on Thursday, The Times has confirmed.

In the request filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Palmer said she is seeking protection from Jackson after he allegedly “trespassed into my home without my knowledge or consent, threatened me, then physically attacked me” on Sunday, Jackson’s alleged trespassing was caught on surveillance video and screenshots were attached in a declaration accompanying Palmer’s request.

The “Nope” star, whose birth name is Lauren Keyana Palmer, claimed that Jackson lunged for her neck, struck her and threw her “over the couch.” She also alleged that Jackson stole her phone when she was “going to call the police.”

In her declaration, Palmer, 30, said that Jackson, 29, entered her home looking for their 8-month-old son, Leodis, to watch a football game, despite no agreed-upon plans. However, the child was with Palmer’s sister. After requesting that Jackson leave her home multiple times, Palmer said the former football star allegedly “lunged at me, grabbing at my neck and face.”

Palmer said in her declaration that she tried to stop Jackson from driving away with her phone, but that he allegedly “nearly hit me with his car” when attempting to leave the actor’s home. According to the declaration, police responded to Palmer’s home after Jackson left and encouraged the actor to file for a domestic violence restraining order.

The declaration also detailed another incident in February 2022 when Jackson allegedly became “violently jealous and irrationally angry over a bikini picture” of the actor. Palmer alleges Jackson grabbed her and “slammed [her] back onto the stairs” in her home. The incident was also caught on surveillance footage.

The actor said she experienced “many instances of physical violence” with Jackson for more than two years. She accused Jackson of “destroying my personal property,” including glasses and diaries, and of throwing her belongings on the street. Palmer also alleged that the former football player threatened self-harm “if I left him,” and accused him of “harassment, and other physical and emotional abuse.”

Palmer is seeking sole legal and physical custody of their son, Leodis Andrellton, and does not want Jackson to have visitation. She alleged that Jackson would use slurs to describe Palmer while speaking to their son, who was born in February.

“It is because of our son, Leo, that I was finally able to end my relationship with Darius once and for all and escape the abuse,” Palmer’s declaration reads. “Leo is the most important thing in the entire world to me; he needs and deserves to be safe and grow up in an environment free from violence.”

Neither Palmer‘s legal representatives nor Jackson immediately responded to The Times’ request for comments Friday.

On Thursday, Jackson shared a photo of himself holding Leodis on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I love you, son. See you soon,” he captioned the picture.

Shayla Davis, Palmer’s mother, spoke against “Insecure” actor Sarunas Jackson for allegedly dismissing her concerns about his younger brother Darius’ abusive behavior. “He said, ‘Well I used to be like that, too.’ What?,” Davis said on Instagram.

She continued her video, calling Sarunas Jackson the “biggest f—boy in Hollywood” and alleging that he is “disrespectful” to women like his younger brother.

“I saw you from day one, my daughter is kind and our family treated you with kindness and this is how you treat it,” she captioned her video. “I won’t take this laying down anymore IM DONE !”

A representative for Sarunas Jackson did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Friday.

Palmer’s court documents also confirmed that her romantic relationship with Jackson “finally ended for good” in October after they were spotted together in August and September. They began dating in June 2021.

In July, Jackson came under fire for publicly criticizing Palmer in response to a viral video of Usher serenading the “Proud Family” star at his Las Vegas residency.

“It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom,” Jackson replied to a clip of Palmer slow-dancing with Usher in a sheer dress and black bodysuit.

Jackson’s unsolicited opinion of how a mom should dress immediately sparked a backlash on social media, where people accused him of attempting to exert control over Palmer. To make matters worse, Jackson doubled down in a follow-up tweet accusing “the wife & mother to his kids” of showing off her “booty cheeks to please others.”

Palmer did not address the initial controversy directly, but she did release new “I’m a motha” merch and encourage dother moms to “do you” in the wake of the incident.

The Emmy winner also recently collaborated with Usher on a song called “Boyfriend.” The music video prominently featured Palmer and plays as a wink and nod (she literally winks at the camera while saying, “I’m a mother, after all”) to the Jackson drama.

“Girl, if there’s one person on this Earth that loves you for sure, it’s that baby,” Palmer said in a message to mothers while speaking with the Cut.

“Be happy, because there’s no love like it. Somebody loving you like that, hell, who cares?”

According to court documents, a superior court judge granted Palmer her temporary restraining order against Jackson on Thursday. A hearing is set for Dec. 5

Times library director Cary Schneider contributed to this report.