Girl, Keke Palmer is throwing some serious shade. Not only did Darius Dalton get upset about her having a good time at Usher’s concert, but she then went ahead and made an entire music video with Usher. I need to sit down and take notes because her level of savagery is top tier. And now I’m hearing that Darius wants full custody of their son, plus child support, and the mansion that Keke owns and he’s been living in? Was the baby part of his plan all along? Grab your snacks because this relationship saga just got even messier.
As most of you probably know, the drama started when a video of Usher serenading Kiki in Vegas went viral. Kiki was wearing a black bodysuit with a sheer dress over it, and she danced with Usher, sharing playful and affectionate glances that reflected their long-standing friendship. Darius wasn’t happy about it. He tweeted his disapproval of Kiki’s outfit, saying, “It’s the outfit though… You a mom.” Then, he followed up with another tweet: “We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife and mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others, and he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family and my representation. I have standards and morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Where were these morals when he was sharing those steamy videos of Kiki? Take, for instance, that one where Kiki was flaunting her toned body in a cheetah bodysuit, and he proudly captioned it, “My son done transformed @Kiki.” Honestly, it likely wasn’t about the outfit at all. In that video, you could clearly see Kiki wrapping her arms around Usher’s neck at one point, with his hand resting on her lower back. It seemed like Darius was more bothered by their interaction than by Kiki’s choice of attire. Obviously, Darius didn’t foresee the backlash he’d face after publicly calling out Kiki. Firstly, Kiki has never been his wife. Secondly, this was something he should have discussed privately with Kiki. But by airing it out in public, he opened himself up to public criticism and got dragged through the mud.
The whole situation was really sad because Kiki was so excited about being a new mom. She was out there praising people who are doing their best to raise their kids well. But now that I’m experiencing it firsthand, I’ve realized that raising a child is a team effort, and not everyone has that support. It’s hitting me hard, especially thinking about all the single parents out there—whether they’re friends, strangers, or even my own family. It’s just heartbreaking. And just when Kiki was starting to enjoy being a mom, Darius had to go and ruin it all.
After the recent drama, Kiki opened up to The Cut, saying, “To all you new moms out there, just be yourselves. Seriously, embrace it! That baby’s love for you is like no other. Find your happiness because nothing compares to that kind of love. When someone loves you like that… who cares about the rest?” Later, she subtly threw shade at Darius in Usher’s “Boyfriend” music video, where Usher sings, “Heard your boyfriend’s on the hunt for me. That’s cool, that’s cool. Let him know I’m not exactly hard to find. Wherever he sees you, I’ll be around.” There’s speculation that their relationship is over, hinted at by Darius’ gym videos with Brooklyn fitness trainer Steve Biko, captioned, “Grind day. Back to basics. Building muscle memory. We were exhausted.”
Guess what? People close to Darius are dishing some juicy details, claiming he’s apparently gunning for full custody of their son. One of his buddies spilled the beans to Media Takeout, revealing that Darius has been the main caregiver for little Leo, which he thinks gives him a strong case for custody. Since Kiki brings home the bacon, Darius figures he’s due some child support. But hold onto your hats: Darius has been crashing at Kiki’s swanky mansion in Los Angeles and now he’s got his eye on claiming it as his own too. According to his friend, it totally makes sense since Leo was born there; it’s like his second home and he should be able to stay put without any fuss.
I might be wrong, but it sure looks like Darius is going after that bag from where I’m sitting. If he is, it pretty much confirms what folks have been saying about him all along. You know, there’s this term floating around, “hobo sexual,” which basically implies someone’s staying with someone else because they’re homeless and looking for a relationship. It kinda fits Darius, considering the little we know about his work life. He’s been in fitness and entertainment for over six years, runs a YouTube channel with a small following, and works as a fitness instructor at Inspire Fitness. But apart from that, it seems like Kiki is his main source of income. And his social media posts? Well, they don’t exactly dispel the notion. Take one where he responded to a comment about not texting his girl all day; Darius said, “Only reason why I’m not gonna text her all day is because I’m with her all day.”
Let’s not forget what Taylor Marie, his ex-girlfriend, claimed about him. She accused him of leaving her for another woman with more money. According to Taylor, Darius urged her to terminate their pregnancy just three weeks before publicly announcing his relationship with Kiki. She even posted a short video on TikTok, adding text that read, “When he gets you pregnant, pressures you into an abortion, and then three weeks later is all loved up with Kiki Palmer.” Taylor quickly deleted the video and re-uploaded it, this time censoring Kiki Palmer’s name and writing, “Let’s give this another shot. I won’t name names, just want to spread awareness. If you’ve been through this, you’ll get through it.”
It’s been quite the spectacle on social media, with some folks practically gagging at Darius’s nerve in asking for child support and Kiki’s house. Yet, amidst the uproar, there’s a faction acknowledging a glaring double standard at play. They argue that Darius deserves full custody of Leo, support payments, and the house he’s vying for. Their gripe? If Kiki were a man, there’d be no question about what’s fair. It’s shining a light on the bias against men who take on the caregiver role while their partners bring home the bacon.
Then there are those wagging their fingers at Kiki, claiming she’s shown Darius no respect. They see her actions as a display of callousness, even if it means harming her own son and damaging the relationship with his dad. One Twitter user minced no words, calling Kiki Palmer “the ultimate loser.” They blamed her for letting emotions rule the roost, leading to the unraveling of her family. Regardless of Darius’s faults, they argue, Kiki bears the greatest responsibility, especially given her public platform. Sacrificing respect for financial gain? Utterly cringe-worthy.
If this whole situation ends up in court, it looks like Darius might have his plans blow up in his face. First off, since he and Kiki aren’t legally married, he can’t touch her assets. Sure, he could try to snag full custody of Leo, but his intentions will be under the microscope. He’ll have to prove he’s thinking about the kid, not just trying to keep up his old lifestyle from when he was with Kiki. Some folks close to the situation say Kiki’s not sweating it, knowing Darius is just a baby daddy with less money and stability than her.
We’ll have to wait and watch how this all shakes out. But let’s talk about Kiki for a sec: Did she really give up her relationship just to chase city life? And was starring in Usher’s music video a step too far? And what about Darius demanding full custody of Leo, plus child support and their fancy mansion? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
