Keke Palmer has opened up about being “fiercely protective” over her son.
The actress has opened up about her experience of motherhood after welcoming her first child, Leodis, in February last year.
“I became fiercely protective, which I think is good and natural, but it’s like an overwhelming feeling to be that protective,” Keke, 30, told Us Weekly in a new interview. “It became primal for me to make sure that my son was in the best environment and that I felt that I could be my best self to make sure that I could show up for him.”
The actress shares her son with her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson. The couple, who first met in 2021, split in October 2023 and have been embroiled in legal battles ever since.
During the interview, the Nope star noted that her protectiveness over her son has had a positive effect on her, as she has “made a lot of difficult choices” and “a lot of important changes” in her life.
“I don’t think I would’ve been that strong to do (that) without having my son, in every aspect of my life, even the way that I deal with my career, it became so much more easy to be like, ‘Yes, no, this, that’ in a way that I don’t know that I always have before,” she told the outlet.
Last year, Keke filed for a temporary restraining order against Darius after claiming he had physically abused her “multiple times”. She also asked for sole custody of Leodis. Both were granted and a court hearing has been set for July.
Darius, 30, has since filed his own court documents, claiming the actress was the “primary aggressor” in the relationship.