The horrifying moments when Keke Palmer was beaten by her ex-partner and the father of her child, Darius Jackson, was captured on video by the star’s home security system, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.
In addition to seeking sole custody of the couple’s eight-month-old child, Palmer, 30, is also looking for a restraining order against Jackson.
The stills from a security camera appear to show Jackson manhandling the former Nickelodeon star and hitting her while she’s leaned over a couch. In court filings, Palmer said that Jackson ‘body slammed [her] onto the stairs by my neck.’
That incident stemmed from Palmer showing Jackson a photo of her ‘workout results’ at a friend’s party, sending him into a rage, the star alleges.
Palmer accused Jackson of abusing her as recently as November 5, stating that she has security footage to back up claims that he ‘trespassed into my home without my knowledge or consent’ and ‘threatened’ her before ‘lunging for my neck, striking me, throwing me over the couch and stealing my phone.’
DailyMail.comhas reached out to Palmer’s representatives for comment on this story.
The Nope star will allow Jackson visitation rights to their son Leodis. In response, Jackson posted a picture of him holding his child on X. The caption reads: ‘I love you, son. See you soon.’
One of the startling video stills that was included with Palmer’s testimony, in documents the star alleges that they show Jackson manhandling her near the stairs of their home
Jackson is shown walking away from a downed Palmer, the documents allege
In another horrifying incident described in the documents, Palmer said that she was struck by the couch of their home
‘The abuse during our relationship was not just physical, but emotional and manipulative,’ Palmer is quoted as saying in court documents
Palmer accused Jackson of abusing her as recently as November 5
Newly release images appear to show the couple arguing before the physical violence begins
As the footage moves along, Jackson can be seen getting closer to Palmer
Palmer is seeking a restraining order against Jackson, who she claims has been physically and emotionally abusive to her; seen in March
In the restraining order request, which she filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, it was noted that the relationship — which began in 2021 — ‘finally ended for good’ early last month ‘primarily due to the physical and emotional abuse inflicted.’
Palmer alleges that Jackson would also ‘love bomb’ her during their relationship.
‘The abuse during our relationship was not just physical, but emotional and manipulative. Darius would ‘love bomb’ me and make me feel like I was the most important woman in the world, only to get extremely distant and cold over a perceived insult to him.’
‘If we were at a party or event, and I spoke with one person too long or looked at someone a “certain way,” he would storm off in a rage – telling me I was “sl**” and a “wh**e,” accuse me of cheating on him, and that I did not love him.’
‘Darius had a way of gaslighting me to make me feel like I was doing something wrong even though I wasn’t,’ she wrote in documents.
Palmer alleged there have been ‘many instances of physical violence’ with Jackson, including him ‘hitting’ her in front of their son.
She claims the ‘many instances of physical violence’ included striking her, grabbing her around the neck, breaking her glasses, throwing her belongings in the street, and withholding her car keys to keep her from driving away.
Palmer added that Jackson would spew ‘profanities about me to our son’, and would threaten to kill himself with a gun if she left him.
Social media response: Following the news that Keke filed for custody of their son, Darius took to his Twitter to share a photo of him holding Leodis, and wrote, ‘I love you, son. See you soon’
Legal action: The Nickelodeon alum, 30, is also asking for full legal and physical custody of their eight-month-old son Leodis but wishes to grant Jackson visitation
‘Physical and emotional abuse’: In the filing, it was noted that the relationship — which began in 2021 — ‘finally ended for good’ early last month ‘primarily due to the physical and emotional abuse inflicted’
In April 2022, Palmer said that she was out for dinner with Jackson in Santa Barbara when he accused her of flirting with a woman, forcing them to come home early.
‘Darius grabbed my prescription eyeglasses away from me, threw them on the ground and stomped on them. He then opened my bag, threw all of my belongings onto the pavement in the rain, and threw my car keys across the parking lot before he got into his own car and drove off,’ she alleges.
In her filing Keke also expressed being ‘concerned for Leo’s safety’ due to prior incidents.
She claimed that on September 26, 2023, Darius became ‘very frustrated with him when Leo was crying while Darius changed his diaper.’
Palmer explained that her former partner ‘started getting rough with Leo physically and I stepped in to make sure Darius would not hurt him.’
She continued: ‘Darius was angry and it almost became a tug of war with Leo. Darius finally let go and Leo was not harmed, but as I was holding Leo trying to comfort him and finish changing his diaper, Darius hit me in the head before storming out of the room.’
Keke also shared incidents of emotional abuse, writing, ‘If we were at a party or event, and I spoke with one person too long or looked at someone a “certain way”, he would storm off in a rage – telling me I was ‘s**t’ and a ‘w***e,’ accuse me of cheating on him, and that I did not love him.’
Security footage: Palmer accused Jackson of abusing her as recently as November 5, stating that she has security footage to back up her claim; they are seen in 2022
Serious allegations: Palmer alleged there have been ‘many instances of physical violence’ with Jackson, including him ‘hitting’ her in front of their son
Concerned: In her filing, Keke expressed being ‘concerned for Leo’s safety’ after Darius ‘started getting rough with Leo physically’ after becoming frustrated by his crying
Keke revealed it was the birth of their son that helped her make the decision to end their relationship.
‘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. 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,’ she wrote.
Keke and Darius’ relationship hit a rough patch when he went viral for tweeting his disapproval of a tight, sheer, thong bodysuit dress she wore to attend Usher’s Las Vegas residency in July.
At the time, he wrote online, ‘It’s the outfit tho… you a mom.’
When fans came to Palmer’s defense, Jackson doubled down as he fired off a second tweet defending himself.
‘We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is,’ he said.
‘This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Palmer did not address the situation explicitly, but appeared on Instagram to share outtakes from the evening and tell fans she wished she had taken more photos.
Earlier this year: The duo began dating in 2021 and welcomed their son this past February
Usher later commented on the post, writing, ‘The Big Boss!! Thank U for coming.’
Following the incident, the pair unfollowed each other on Instagram but they later celebrated Palmer’s birthday together in August.
In an episode of her podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer that was recorded before the drama, Darius admitted to having high standards for his romantic partners.
In the clip, shared one week after the couple made headlines, Palmer asked Jackson how he felt when they decided to go public with their romance.
The fitness instructor revealed he felt ‘pressure’ to be perfect, and confessed to holding Keke to that same standard of perfection.
‘You almost feel that pressure of needing to be perfect,’ Jackson answered.
‘And so, it really confused me and infiltrated my mind because not only did I have to hold myself to that perfect standard, I was also holding you to a perfect standard as well,’ he added.
Although fans have speculated that Keke and Darius may have broken up either before or immediately after the wardrobe drama, neither party has confirmed their current relationship status.
Relationship drama: Darius publicly criticized Keke over the summer, after she wore a sheer black dress over a thong bodysuit to an Usher concert
In August Jackson posted a short video clip of Palmer snuggling with their son on social media.
‘Happy Birthday to a one of a kind being. Hoping your 30s brings you many joys & triumphs,’ he wrote.
When Keke stopped by the Today show in September, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager pressed her about her relationship.
‘You know, I’m going to take a page out of my girl Beyonce’s book… mind y’all’s business!’ Palmer told the hosts.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
