Keke Palmer Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Darius Jackson

Baby, Keke Palmer is a mother!

The Nope star revealed that she has welcomed her first child, a baby boy named Leodis Andrellton Jackson, with boyfriend Darius Jackson.

"Hey Son!!!!" Keke captioned a photo of her newborn baby on Instagram on Feb. 27. "Born during Black History Month, with a name to match." 

Keke shared a gallery of photos, including a selfie of the couple after "48hrs of being parents" and emotional pics of the pair in the hospital following Leodis' birth.

Her post also gave a glimpse into her relationship with Darius, writing that he "always made me playlists when we first started dating, 'Someone' by El Debarge was a favorite. We became each other's someone and made a someone, look at God!"

The actress surprised fans by announcing that she was expecting during her Saturday Night Live opening monologue as host on Dec. 3.

"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 said before unbuttoning her coat to show off her bare bump. "I gotta say, though, it is bad when people on the internet spread rumors about you y'all, but it's even worse when they're correct."

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

Following her appearance on the show, Keke shared a post reflecting on her journey.

"This year has taken me for a ride!" she wrote on Dec. 4. "And how cool, my baby and I are already doing it all together. Thank you God! Thank you to my amazing parents and family who continuously support me."

Keke also thanked Darius, who she called her "other half," for "giving me the things that only true unity can bring."

She concluded her note, "Love is all we have isn't it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone! Very grateful."

Darius—a fitness instructor—shared the news in his own way on his Instagram Stories with a photo of Keke wearing a sweater and sitting at a restaurant as she cradled her baby bump. He captioned the pic, "2023" alongside a red heart emoji.

While she has kept her relationship with Darius private, Keke did open up about her love life during an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show in November 2021.

"It became more difficult to hide," she said of her decision to go Instagram official with her boyfriend. "We spend all this time together, and he really is my closest friend, so it just becomes a thing where I'm not gonna hide something that makes me happy."

She added, "It's not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job, but at the end of the day this is somebody that is important to me so why not."

They went Instagram official in August 2021, when Keke shared Polaroids of the two packing PDA at her 28th birthday party.

More recently, the Scream Queens star reflected on how she balances her work while still making time for her personal life.
 
"You're always trying to figure out how to maintain it," she exclusively told E! News in November. "It's not easy and I would not ever say or give the impression that it is because it's not. So, I'm always working to make sure that I'm checking in with myself as much as I can."
 
Keeping booked and busy, Keke explained that that's the way she likes it and feels "highly fulfilled from what I do."

She added, "For me, performing is an act of service and I feel good in that space. I feel good in the service of others."

While she expressed her desire to pursue other areas in the industry, such as producing, Keke acknowledged that she needs to make more time for herself. 

"There's the personal half of me, the side of me that's not a performer, that's at home watching documentaries and TV shows and old sitcoms," she said. "And that just wants to be with her family and hang out with my cat, Jackie—that side of me also needs love too. Again, it's day-to-day balance and checking in and be able to maintain both of those parts of myself."