Keke Palmer is one proud mother.
The actress, 30, took to social media on Sunday, February 25, to boast about her son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson, celebrating his 1st birthday by sharing a series of warm memories.
“Happy Birthday son I LOVE YOU SO MUCH,” Palmer wrote alongside a carousel of photos and clips of Leo, from smiling in the crib to playing on a swing set. “You came into my life today at 3:25pm, but I knew even before then that you were the strongest person I ever knew. There were so many moments during my pregnancy where your silent strength would give me peace. This is something you still do just with your mere existence!”
She continued: “Even with all the pain and suffering one has to experience here. I will do it over and over again, because I know that I’d be with YOU! I will live, I will smile, I will cry, I’ll be angry, I’ll have love and I’ll have pain, I will find JOY. I will do all the things.. for you. It’s so easy to say no, it’s so easy to say GOODBYE. But I say YES and I say HELLO to LIFE because of YOU! I’m so happy for my son. Thank you God. I love you so much buddy.”
The Nope actress included a clip of herself welcoming Leo in the hospital last year, writing in the caption “I gave LIFE! Greatest day of my life. Nothing else matters 🥹♓️🫶🏾 .“
Palmer shares Leo with her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson. “Born during Black History Month, with a name to match 😄!” she wrote via Instagram in February 2023 while introducing the pair’s son. “LEODIS ANDRELLTON JACKSON, welcome to the world baby Leo.”
Less than one year later, Palmer requested a temporary restraining order against Jackson, claiming in her November 2023 petition that he “trespassed” into her home and “threatened” her. He allegedly charged Palmer before “striking” her and “throwing” her over the couch, which she claimed was caught on security camera footage.
Palmer claimed she experienced “many instances of physical violence” throughout her two-year relationship with Jackson, which “finally ended for good” in October 2023. She also requested temporary sole custody of the pair’s son. Her request was granted in November 2023, along with the temporary restraining order.
Per the Los Angeles Superior Court, Jackson was ordered to stay 100 yards away from both Palmer and Leo until further notice. He was also prohibited from having visitation.
One month later, Jackson filed his own court docs responding to Palmer’s allegations, claiming that she was the “primary aggressor” in their relationship. Palmer’s restraining order was extended by six months after she and Jackson agreed to postpone a planned hearing in January. A new court date is set for July, which is when the order will expire.
Throughout her ongoing legal battle with Jackson, Palmer has prioritized her son’s happiness. “You make my life so worth living. … I have no confusion on why I am here!” she continued on Sunday. “On my purpose or my value or why I should stay. I wanna stay for you. I want to be here to love and protect you and watch you be the good in this world! You are so special and so precious I would take a thousand bullets to the chest, run into a burning building, essentially I’d die a thousand deaths… or actually I’d LIVE, I’d live a million lives.”
