While there’s no magic formula to co-parenting — especially if you’re working with a toxic or abusive ex — Keke Palmer has a secret to more successful co-parenting with her ex Darius Jackson, with whom she shares 20-month-old son Leodis “Leo.” She spilled about how she worked to be able to “co-exist” with Jackson in a new interview, and her advice is definitely worth a try for parents in similar situations!
The Bosses star sat down with Gayle King on CBS Mornings on Nov. 19, where the journalist told Palmer how much she “admire[s]” the way Palmer handled their public breakup, which started when Jackson shamed her for dancing with Usher at his concert last summer.
(For a quick recap, Palmer filed a restraining order against her ex in Oct. 2023, accusing him of physically and emotionally abusing her multiple times “in front of our son.” A judge granted her a temporary restraining order and temporary sole legal and physical custody of Leo, which led to Jackson accusing Palmer of being the “primary aggressor” in their relationship in Dec. 2023. In May 2024, Palmer and Jackson both requested to drop the case, and Palmer has posted photos and videos of their seemingly amicable co-parenting moments since then.)
“I gotta be honest, I would’ve never thought that I would be where I am now, and so I’m very grateful that this has now been the outcome and we’ve been able to coexist in this way and show up for our son, and just be in a different place. It’s a real blessing, that’s the best way that I can explain it” Palmer told King in the interview yesterday.
She went on to share her biggest secret for co-parenting peacefully: “Boundaries.” The Master of Me author explained, “I don’t think I had enough of ’em. I think boundaries, and I talk about that a lot in the book. People cannot respect boundaries you don’t have and sometimes it’s hard to make boundaries with people you love. You want to make excuses… You’re not allowing them room to grow and to show up in a way that they need to show up because you’re not drawing any lines.”
“And that’s something that I’ve always struggled with,” she continues. “I talk about it so much in the book, with my Christian background and the concept of forgiveness and how that means I show up for me and show up for others. And when I had my son, it became clear that I needed to create boundaries. That I needed to have hard lines with the people in my life. Not just the personal but in my work. Everything became clear because this child needs me. So anything that’s taking from me, that I could have been OK with before, I’m not anymore. Because I need to be 100 percent for this child. And I think that that changed everything.”
The Nope star opened up about her ups and downs with Jackson in an October interview with PEOPLE. Palmer, who referred to the time as “the hardest thing I ever had to go through” in her new book released yesterday, told the outlet that their relationship started out wonderfully.
“It was like, not only is this the person, but this is the time. It felt very spiritual for Darius and I,” she said. “We had separate lonelinesses, and we created a space for us to exist in that loneliness together. And then we wanted to have a son. Leo was very planned.”
“It got so out of control,” she added about the allegations of domestic violence and bitter custody battle. “The only way I knew how to bring order was through the court.” She said that “having a baby” and navigating fame caused fractures in their relationship, but they were finally able to come up with a joint custody agreement after court-ordered mediation.
“I wish I could say he was terrible the entire time or that I was … but it wasn’t that black-and-white and that was the problem,” she wrote in her book, per PEOPLE. “I didn’t want my son to think his father is a monster, because I don’t.”
She added that Jackson has joined the military and she feels “so proud of him and happy for him.” Palmer told PEOPLE, “I feel very at ease now knowing things are under control.”
Before you go, check out this list of celeb couples who split before their child’s first birthday.
