When did Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson start dating? Inside their relationship as couple set to welcome first child together

American actress Keke Palmer has announced that she is expecting her first child with boyfriend Darius Jackson.

While hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live on December 3, Palmer, 29, addressed the online rumors about her pregnancy by revealing that she is indeed pregnant.

"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 — I am!"

She ripped open her long gray jacket to reveal her baby bump on stage.

Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson have been pretty private about their relationship and share very little about each other on social media, although they began dating in the summer of 2021.

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Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson met at a party in 2021

As per Us Weekly, Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson first met at Sean "Diddy" Combs and Issa Rae's Memorial Day Party in May 2021.

They kept their relationship under wraps until August of that year, when Jackson made it Instagram official by posting a picture with Palmer. In a now-deleted post, he wrote:

“You’ve been a blessing from above. 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.”

Darius has been working in the entertainment and fitness industry for more than six years. As per his LinkedIn profile, he works as an instructor at Inspire Fitness. Jackson is also the brother of Sarunas Jackson, who starred in Issa Rae's series Insecure. Keke Palmer also co-starred in that series.

While speaking to Harper's Bazaar in March 2020, Keke Palmer shared that she likes to keep her personal and professional lives apart and does not date people from her own industry. She said:

“I’ve always had the same philosophy when it comes to dating. Not that I wouldn’t give someone a try. I think a lot about, like, does this person really like me for me? And it’s not just romantic relationships. It’s friends too. That wavering, that’s the most traumatic thing about fame.”

Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson don't post about each other on social media, however, while speaking about her new beau on The Tamron Hall Show, she stated that it became "more difficult to hide." The Nope star added that she won't hide something that makes her happy.

During her recent SNL debut, Keke stated that she felt bad that the internet rumors about her pregnancy were true because she had a lot going on and tried to keep it "on the down low."

"...But honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I'm going to be a mom."

Before dating Darius, Palmer was romantically linked to rapper Styn of the Mae Seven duo. She has also dated rapper Meek Mill and actor Quincy Brown.