Pop Culture

Keke Palmer's Ex Darius Jackson on Getting 'Redemption' in Army After Enlisting at Age 30

Jackson said joining the U.S. Army at 30 years old was "random" but "much needed."

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 19: Actress, Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson attend the NBA x HBCU Classic Presented by AT&T as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on Thursday, February 19, 2022 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

Darius Jackson, who shares a son with Keke Palmer, found "redemption" in joining the U.S. Army.

Months after welcoming Leodis "Leo" Andrellton Jackson in February 2023, the exes had a brutal child custody battle in court, which was resolved after dropping restraining orders against each other. In November 2023, the One of Them Days actress accused Jackson of domestic abuse, with Jackson filing a countersuit and calling Palmer a "primary aggressor." That July, Jackson shaded Palmer on Twitter for wearing a sheer dress to Usher's Las Vegas residency.

After Palmer and Jackson made amends for the sake of their now-2-year-old son, Jackson enlisted in the Army. On Thursday (April 3), he shared an Instagram update about his time in training.

"Joining the Army at my big age of 30 was random but much needed," Jackson wrote. "The more I pray, the more God has given me the clarity that this has been the best decision I have made for myself."

He continued, "Now, don’t get me wrong, I HATE being away from Leodis & I HATE TRADOC! However, being older has allowed me to have so much patience & wisdom to get me through some of these rough times."

Jackson ended with sharing a message about "redemption" and said that his story is "FAR from complete but the foundation is set."

While promoting her memoir, Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative, Palmer told People how "proud" she was of Jackson for joining the military. "I feel very at ease now knowing things are under control," Palmer expressed around the 14-minute mark of the video below.

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