Who Is Keke Palmer's Baby's Father? Darius Jackson Celebrates Pregnancy

Keke Palmer surprised Saturday Night Live viewers when she hosted the show over the weekend, by confirming that she is pregnant with her first child.

Taking to the NBC comedy show's stage in New York City, the Nope actress, 29, addressed speculation across social media that she was expecting a baby.

"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!" Palmer said, before opening up her jacket to reveal her growing baby 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 went on.

"I mean, like, I was trying so hard to keep it on the downlow, '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."

Palmer added: "Even though some people feel a little weird about me having a baby 'cause I was a child actor, I just wanna say, look, I'm 29, I'm grown, I have sex, I own a home, I stormed the Capitol on January 6, you know? Things adults do."

On Sunday, Palmer posted a series of photos from her SNL hosting stint on Instagram, adding in an accompanying caption that she had an "amazing time" on the show. She also thanked her "other half," tagging Jackson's Instagram account.

The screen star thanked her partner "for giving me the things that only true unity can bring. Love is all we have isn't it, you do nothing in this world alone and trust me, I am not alone! Very grateful."

Who is Keke Palmer's Baby's Father?

Darius Daulton Jackson, 28, is the younger brother of Insecure star Sarunas Jackson. Darius Jackson and Palmer both made appearances on Issa Rae's hit TV show Insecure, though not in the same episodes.

On his Instagram profile, Darius Jackson describes himself as a writer. According to Just Jared, Palmer's partner is a fitness instructor and aspiring actor, who she began dating after they met at a Memorial Day party in May 2021.

Shortly after Palmer's SNL appearance, Jackson shared an Instagram Story post of the actress showing off her baby bump, alongside the caption: "2023 ❤️," per Page Six.

According to Elle, Darius Jackson dedicated a birthday post to Palmer in August 2021, writing on the platform: "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."

Per Just Jared, Palmer shared a since-deleted video of herself with Darius Jackson in October 2021, adding in a caption: "Without being too mushy because I HATEEEE THAT, it feels really nice to not be afraid to show this kind of care for someone that I don't share the same blood with.

"I thought it could never happen, I can be quite guarded, but I appreciate you for being a safe space. I will always cherish what you have given me."

The couple removed all of their posts referring to one another from their respective Instagram accounts in March of this year, according to Just Jared.

During an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show last November, Palmer opened up about what led her to go "Instagram official" with her partner after having been guarded about sharing details of her private life.

"It became more difficult to hide," she said of sharing the posts at the time. "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."

"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," Illinois native Palmer added.

Describing Darius Jackson as "very industry-adjacent," Palmer continued: "I've always been somebody that hasn't wanted too much industry stuff in my life, he's very industry-adjacent, meaning he understands it but that's not what he's about."

While Palmer has deleted a number of posts featuring herself and Darius Jackson, a TikTok video remains online, showing the couple sharing a kiss behind a fan.

"Lady miss takes what she WANTS," read an accompanying caption on the post. The video, which was uploaded last November, has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.