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Actress and singer Keke Palmer is spilling the tea on how she knew her longtime partner Darius Jackson was the right person for her.

Palmer, who made this admission during her latest Baby Its Keke Palmer podcast, has been with Jackson since 2021. After going public with their relationship on social media that same year, the couple embarked on various life-changing experiences together.


The list includes Palmer and Jackson professionally collaborating on a show called Sportsfan featured on the 29-year-old's network KeyTV. The pair also welcomed their first child, Leodis Jackson, in February 2023.

In the podcast with relationship expert Damona Hoffman, Palmer opened up about online dating and why she hated the experience prior to meeting Jackson, and the several qualities she loves about the actor.

Keke On Online Dating

During the May 2 discussion, the Nope star revealed that she didn't like online dating platforms such as Raya, an invite-only dating app, because she felt like she was networking with potential suitors rather than finding her significant other.

“I hate the online dating atmosphere. I think it kills your relationship or, or at least, it just makes it difficult, to some degree," said Palmer. "I’ve tried the dating apps, like, but the only one I really ever tried was Raya. It felt like I was at a f–king networking event when I actually did go out with the person that I was meeting on Raya.”

Palmer would add that when she was in the dating scene, she often preferred to meet a person through a mutual friend and exchange messages on social media, which was the case with how she met Jackson. Palmer and Jackson would reportedly cross paths in May 2021 during a Memorial Day celebration hosted by Issa Rae.

Keke On Darius’ Qualities

As the conversation shifted to manifestation and using it as a tool to visualize the type of partner a person wants, Palmer shared that before she and Jackson started dating, she wanted someone that met her specific needs.

Palmer's qualities in a partner included an individual with a great relationship with their family, a person that doesn't fit the typical standards of being a man, and someone that doesn't take themselves too seriously, all of which Jackson fits.

“It’s so true because my partner is, in so many ways, everything. I mean, obviously not perfect. I’m not perfect. No one’s perfect. But it’s like you are literally everything I visualized, and I say that all the time to him and he’s like, ‘No way, Jose.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes way, Jose,’” she said. “I always wanted a man that was not so overly obsessed with being masculine, you know what I mean? Still had masculine energy, but also welcomed the softness that feminine energy can give. Somebody that’s had a good relationship with their mother, someone that didn’t take themselves too seriously, somebody that was a little bit, you know, cheesy and corny in all the right ways, but still knew how to dress and gave me a vibe every now and then.”

To this day, Palmer and Jackson continue to showcase that love and dating, when done correctly, can be a beautiful and fulfilling experience.

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Feature image by Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

 

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