Keke Palmer Reflects on Past Relationships with Older Men

 

 

American singer and actress Keke Palmer has opened up about her past experiences dating older men, particularly recalling a secret relationship she had as a teenager while starring on the Nickelodeon series True Jackson VP. In an interview with People published on October 30, Palmer shared her thoughts on the complexities of that time in her life.

At just 15 years old, Palmer was involved with a 20-year-old man. "I was trying to balance between being really young but also feeling quite mature," the 31-year-old actress explained. She acknowledged the inappropriateness of their age difference, stating, “If I thought it was inappropriate, then I wouldn't have done it. Obviously, I shouldn’t have been 15 dating a 20-year-old.”

Despite the age gap, Palmer felt a connection, saying, “In my mind, it was like ‘I got a full-time job… Can’t nobody understand me but a grown man.’” She recognized that the older man understood many things that were beyond her comprehension at that age.

While Palmer enjoyed her time on True Jackson VP, she also reflected on the challenges she faced during that period, describing it as “a very stressful, difficult, depressive time.” She admitted that her mental state made it difficult to process the appropriateness of her relationship with the older man, whose identity she chose not to disclose.

It wasn’t until she started dating her now-ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson that she fully grasped the inappropriateness of her earlier relationship. "It wasn't until I was a real grown woman," she said, explaining that her understanding of genuine love and respect developed over time. "By 26, 27, 28, I had finally experienced genuine love," she noted, contrasting it with her previous experiences.

Keke Palmer and Darius Jackson, who share a son named Leodis, began their relationship in 2021 and separated in 2023. Following their split, Palmer obtained a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Jackson, but the two have since reached a joint custody agreement for their son.