Keke Palmer Sparks Dating Rumors With NFL Star Duke Riley Despite Volatile Custody Battle With Ex
KeKe Palmer and Duke Riley are rumored to be dating.
Feb. 29 2024, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Actress Keke Palmer appears to have moved on from her ex-boyfriend, and the father of her child, Darius Jackson.
A recent sighting of the actress and Miami Dolphins star Duke Riley has led to speculation that the two are dating, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Palmer split from ex-boyfriend and baby daddy Jackson in October 2023.
While legal matters between Palmer and Jackson, both 30, who share a son, Leo, remain far from resolved, a recent outing sparked rumors that she's moved on from the abusive relationship.
A fan ran into the Nope star and posted photos of their encounter to X, however, eagle-eyed social media users noticed a familiar face in the background.
Social media users noticed a man who looked like Riley in the background of a picture a fan snapped with Palmer.
Social media users pointed out that the man in the background of the fan's picture looked like NFL linebacker Riley, 29.
One nosey user even responded to the post, asking, "So was she walking with Duke when you saw her? Was it just them together?"
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Palmer recently shared a video of her jamming out to Riley's new song, 'Smooth Like Hitch.'
Although neither Riley nor Palmer have confirmed the dating speculation, the actress showed love for the NFL player's new song, Smooth Like HItch, online.
Palmer was jamming to Riley's tune in a video posted to her Instagram feed along with the caption, "Gooooodmorninggggggg!! How yall doing?For those asking, the song is “Smooth Like Hitch” by @dukeriley — idk why it didn’t link lol."
The pair also follow each other on Instagram.
Palmer and Riley are following each other on Instagram.
Dating rumors follow a tumultuous few months for Palmer, who split from Jackson in October 2023. Palmer was granted temporary physical and legal custody of the son after she submitted evidence of the alleged abuse she claimed to have suffered during and after their relationship. Palmer was also granted a temporary restraining order against Jackson.
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Jackson surrendered his firearm to law enforcement in November after being required to do so.
While Jackson denied his ex's abuse allegations — and claimed Palmer was the aggressor during their two-year relationship — his temporary restraining order request against the actress was denied.
The messy ordeal has spiraled into chaos, with other family members, including Jackson's brother Sarunas, who accused Palmer of making "foul claims" about him, being dragged into the drama.
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Sarunas also sought a temporary restraining order against Palmer, citing her "foul claims" have "caused career damage."
Like his brother, Sarunas' TRO request was also denied. While he was given another opportunity to plead his case to the court, he claimed he wasn't able to locate the actress to serve her.
Palmer's mother Sharon told RadarOnline.com that Sarunas' TRO request is nothing more than an attempt to clout chase and her daughter "never wants to see him again."
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