Keke Palmer has always kept her personal life guarded, and for good reason. The talented actress and singer has been in the spotlight since she was a child, making her debut in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee at the young age of 13. From there, Keke’s star has only risen to new heights in the entertainment industry, and with it comes a lot of scrutiny on her personal life. Through all of the rumors, Keke has always been very clear about not defining her sexuality, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating. So, who has Keke Palmer dated over the course of her career?
We’re looking back at Keke’s dating history below.
Rodney
Keke is believed to have dated Rodney from roughly 2010-2013. Although she never confirmed that she was dating Rodney, she did allude to it in 2012 during her appearance on Sway In The Morning. While addressing rumors that she was living with Rodney at the time, she seemingly confirmed that the two were in fact together but they were not living in Atlanta. “Why would I move to Atlanta?” Keke shared with the hosts. She did, however, confirm that they were living in California. When called over to address the rumors himself, Rodney even said that he found tabloid headlines about his romance with Keke “funny.”
Meek Mill
Rapper Meek Mill and Keke have been linked in the past, but it looks like the speculation never went far beyond rumors. During an episode of her short-lived 2014 talk show Just Keke, the starlet alluded to the rumors. “I wasn’t surprised that, when they asked who would be an astrological match for me that it would be Meek,” she said on her show, alluding to the two celeb’s astrological sign being a match for a strong relationship. “First of all, my producers know about the rumors and stuff like that. But also, on top of that, astrologically [Meek] and I are a match,” she explained.
“I’m the type of person that’s like, we don’t need to beat around the bush…I know we all [are] thinking about the Meek Mill rumors and it doesn’t really matter to me because he and I are very cool.” Even though Keke never outrightly confirmed or denied the potential romance, she was more than comfortable addressing the speculation around her love life.
Quincy Brown
While filming the 2015 movie Brotherly Love, rumors swirled that Keke and her co-star Quincy Brown were a hot new item. Again, like her past speculated romance, Keke never outrightly confirmed anything, but that didn’t stop fans from speculating. Although she never addressed how long the two dated or any details about her love life, she did share a video diary in 2016 where she discussed a break up that left her “heartbroken.”
Mike Johnson
This coupling nearly broke the internet. After his stint on Hannah Brown‘s season of The Bachelorette, fan-favorite Mike Johnson seemingly asked Keke out during his October 2019 appearance on Strahan, Sara, and Keke. Keke was totally shocked, and addressed the moment later on. “I don’t know, it really scares me to date people in the industry. That’s number one. Number two: He asked me in front of everybody. I felt totally, like, ambushed. I felt ambushed. I felt like it was a big ol’ gag. I’ve been doped.” Clearly, nothing more than what fans saw on TV happened here.
Styn
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This might just be the most forthcoming Keke has been about her love life. In late February, Keke was spotted out in Hollywood holding hands with music artist Styn. The two had just picked up some cups of coffee when paparazzi snapped a few photos of them. Styn and Keke have actually been linked since roughly 2019. Keke, who rarely shares much from her personal life on social media, even appeared in a September 2020 video on Styn’s account. She also alluded to the potential relationship when speaking to Page Six just before the holidays in late 2020! “Yes, you know I have some love in my life, you know there’s some love there,” she shared with the outlet. “You know, it’s not a love life if I share with you because it’s public. So at the end of the day, just know your girl Keke is not lonely — ever!”
Darius Jackson
Keke and Darius started dating in 2021, and they welcomed their child, Leodis “Leo” Jackson, in 2023. While the couple seemingly had a blissful and fun relationship, everything changed after the birth of their son. Darius sparked controversy after he slammed Keke on X (formerly Twitter) for the outfit she wore while Usher serenaded her on stage.
“It’s the outfit tho … you a mom,” Darius wrote. He then followed up in a separate tweet doubling down on his comments.
The pair seemingly patched up any differences they had, but fans were still outraged over Darius’ controversial criticism of the Nickelodeon alum. By the end of 2023, Keke confirmed that they had split when she filed a restraining order against Darius and requested sole custody of their child. Moreover, Keke accused Darius of domestic violence in her filing, alleging that he “trespassed into my home without my knowledge or consent, threatened me, then physically attacked me — lunging for my neck, striking me, throwing me over the couch, and stealing my phone when I told him I was going to call the police,” per People.
Keke and Darius hurled accusations of abuse at each other, with both taking legal action against the other person. However, after a court-ordered mediation, Keke and Darius were able to settle on joint custody of their son, Leo, amicably. The Nickelodeon alum even said she’s “proud” of her ex in her 2024 book, Master of Me.
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