Soon-to-be family of three! Shortly after Keke Palmer announced she is expecting her first baby, the actress’ boyfriend, Darius Jackson, shared his support — and teased their little one’s due date.
“2023 ❤️,” the 28-year-old fitness trainer, known as Darius Daulton, wrote via Instagram Story on Saturday, December 3, alongside a baby bump snap of the 29-year-old Nope star.
Palmer — who has been dating Jackson for more than one year — announced hours earlier on Saturday that she is 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,” the Hustlers actress revealed during her Saturday Night Live monologue, in which she cradled her baby bump for the camera. “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?” People kept coming up to me [and saying,] ‘Congratulations.’ I’m like, ‘Sssh, can y’all stop, I got a liquor sponsorship on the line. Let the check clear and then we can get to the damn baby shower!’”
She continued at the time: “But, honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I’m going to be a mom! 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 [and] I own a home. … You know, things adults do.’”
Jackson, for his part, watched his partner host the iconic variety series from backstage. “These pictures are crazy but I love you guys,” Palmer captioned an Instagram Story selfie with her man and their pals from her dressing room.
In one backstage video, relative Dominique Perry cheered on the Illinois native’s SNL debut — and her baby news.
“Secrets outttt! Zen has another blood cousin on the way,” the Rap Sh*t actress, 34, wrote via Instagram, referring to her 4-year-old daughter. “Super congrats to you sis on this winning night, welcome to the mommyclub and @dvulton you guys are going to do great! Love you much 💕.”
Jackson, for his part, is already excited that his bundle of joy will have a cousin to show them the ropes. “Thank you for showing up Auntie,” he wrote via Instagram Story, reposting Perry’s footage. “Zen got a cousin on the way. ❤️.”
The Scream Queens alum and Jackson first debuted their romance via Instagram in August 2021. “You’ve been a blessing from above,” the personal trainer gushed at the time. “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.”
Palmer and the workout guru have continued to keep their romance relatively low-key since their public debut.
“I’ve always had the same philosophy when it comes to dating,” the Nickelodeon alum previously told Harper’s Bazaar in March 2020. “Not that I wouldn’t give someone a try. But trying to keep my private life outside of my work life, to me, it’s easiest when you don’t date someone with the same career. … 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.”
