
Keke Palmer Opens Up About Going Instagram Official With Her Boyfriend

Keke Palmer is opening up about her boo Darius Jackson. The singer/actress visited the Tamron Hall Show and spilled some tea on her relationship. While she didn't address when they started dating, she was transparent about why she decided to go public with their relationship.
"I'm really one of those people that very much so keep it on the Beyoncé tip of just keeping everything lowkey," she said. "I think the reality is it's just it became more difficult to hide that. We spend all this time together and he's really my closest friend so it just becomes a thing where I'm not gonna hide something that makes me happy. So, it is what it is. It's not gonna be everything you see, my job is my job, but at the end of the day, hey, this is somebody that is important to me."
She even joked about their zodiac signs not matching up on the compatibility chart.
Keke is a Virgo and Darius is an Aquarius. "He's an Aquarius. Isn't that crazy?" she said. "It's a random matchup. He got some Taurus in that chart so that must be the balance."
But while their astrological signs may not seem like a match in the stars, they balance each other out in other ways. Keke works in entertainment, but Darius doesn't and that's one of the things she likes about him.
"I think it's the authenticity. I've always been somebody that hasn't wanted too much industry stuff in my life so he's very industry adjacent meaning he understands it but that's not what he's about."
She continued, "I think that also helps a lot too for the comfortability, but I mean, I don't know how to explain it. It's one of those things like I said is surprising to me as well, but I'm 28, I'm still learning so we'll see how it goes."
This appears to be the first time that the Southern Belle Insults author has gone public with a relationship. Keke has become known for her talented acting skills, singing, and vibrant personality that always shines through during her interviews. But she shares that she is happy and OK to also focus on having a love life.
"In this era right now, it's very much popular to be like, 'oh I don't care.' It's become very popular to the point where it does end up making you feel like you're not opening yourself up to it (love) and I think that's where it got to the point for me," she said.
"If I'm happy why don't I just be happy? Who am I trying to hide anything from or impress or what is the idea of it all that I'm trying to coerce? At the end of the day, I'm still me with or without a partner."
But being open about her relationship doesn't give others permission to get in her business. When it comes to having a successful relationship, she shares this philosophy.
" Quiet the noise and find the truth in your relationship."
Period!
Featured image by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Refinery29's Unbothered
'Sistas' Star Skyh Black On The Power Of Hypnotherapy & Emotional Vulnerability For Men
In this insightful episode of the xoMAN podcast, host Kiara Walker talked with Sistas star Skyh Black, as he opened up about his journey of emotional growth, resilience, and self-discovery. The episode touches on emotional availability, self-worth, masculinity, and the importance of therapy in overcoming personal struggles.
Skyh Black on Emotional Availability & Love
On Emotional Availability & Vulnerability
“My wife and I wouldn't be where we are today if both of us weren't emotionally available,” he shared about his wife and Sistas co-star KJ Smith, highlighting the value of vulnerability and emotional openness in a relationship. His approach to masculinity stands in contrast to the traditional, stoic ideals. Skyh is not afraid to embrace softness as part of his emotional expression.
On Overcoming Self-Doubt & Worthiness Issues
Skyh reflected on the self-doubt and worthiness issues that he struggled with, especially early in his career. He opens up about his time in Los Angeles, living what he calls the “LA struggle story”—in a one-bedroom with three roommates—and being homeless three times over the span of 16 years. “I always had this self-sabotaging thought process,” Skyh said. “For me, I feel therapy is essential, period. I have a regular therapist and I go to a hypnotherapist.”
How Therapy Helped Him Heal From Self-Doubt
On Hypnotherapy & Empowering Self-Acceptance
Skyh’s journey is a testament to the power of tapping into self-development despite life’s struggles and being open to growth. “I had to submit to the fact that God was doing good in my life, and that I'm worthy of it. I had a worthiness issue and I did not realize that. So, that’s what the hypnotherapy did. It brought me back to the core. What is wrong so that I can fix it?”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
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How A Group Chat Became A Game-Changer For Empowering Black Professionals In Sports
In 2016, Shaina Wiel started a simple group chat with friends and colleagues in the New York sports industry. What began as a space for professionals of color in sports to share resources and opportunities blossomed into the Minorities in Sports Business Network, a thriving community of more than 1,000 members and a full-fledged company shaping the future of sports business.
Shaina, who has held roles at companies including ESPN and the NBA and has taught strategic sports marketing at esteemed institutions like Georgetown University, officially launched the network as a business in 2019. Since then, it’s hosted high-impact events like the Toast to Black Sports luncheon during Super Bowl weekend and built student chapters at both HBCUs and PWIs to pipeline underrepresented talent into the industry.
She shared with xoNecole more on the early days of launch, the turning point that made her realize she had a platform with real influence, and what keeps her going. With 17 years of experience across agencies, teams, and networks, Shaina is proof that grassroots efforts can turn into transformative change—especially when backed by passion, vision, and community.
xoNecole: How did the Minorities In Sports Business Network come to life?
Shaina Wiel: So, I just started the group chat and added a few of my friends who work in the industry as well. We were all kind of in New York at the same time working in the sports space… Very quickly over the next few years, the chat grew to over 800 individuals within the chat. Then, we had over 1000 individuals.
xoN: What was your ‘aha’ moment to expand?
SW: I noticed a bunch of employees from the Big Four leagues— NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB— within my group chat had all started posting roles. And when I asked, 'What is going on? Why are there so many posting jobs within the group chat?' I was told that HR had sent a note to their Black Employee Resource Group and had told them they had heard about this group chat.
That's when I realized, ‘Okay, this is more than, you know, my little friend group chat. Let's see if we can turn this into an actual business. And then in summer, 2019 I decided to do this full time.
Brittany Dacoff
xoN: What was the transition like growing the group chat into a full platform offering membership perks like access to job listings, networking opportunities and more?
SW: I was working at an agency, and the agency had lost their account. It was the account that I was working on. So they were like, you know, we can try to find another or we can separate. I decided to leave. And then, as we know, COVID happened, which actually was a blessing in disguise.
I was able to really focus on building the vision with this group chat and turning it into an actual company, seeing what works, seeing things from an events and a relationship standpoint, in terms of like, how we were interacting with different partners from different companies, and actually turning that into something substantial that could last.
xoN: Speaking of events, talk more about what inspired the Toast to Black Sports event you held earlier this year during the Super Bowl. Why is it important?
SW: This was the second year. There are so many dope people of color, specifically Black people, who work in this industry who are just doing the work behind the scenes. They’re not getting their flowers. I took it upon myself to say, I want to celebrate you. We’ve honored Kimberly Fields, Esq. of the NFL, Kevin Warren, CEO of the Chicago Bears, sports executive Jason Wright, sports and entertainment vet Carmen Green-Wilson, and NFL coach Jennifer King—all of whom have made major contributions to the industry.
xoN: What do you enjoy most about your role today?
SW: I think the work that I enjoy the most, honestly, is with our college students. We have 12 chapters across different colleges and universities. We help eliminate some of the barriers a lot of us had coming out of college. What I love seeing is that we have students who are now looking at roles they never even thought of.
xoN: What’s a bit of career advice for women breaking into the sports industry?
SW: I would say, build relationships. That’s really it: Build authentic relationships. Make sure it's a give and take and that you're supporting other people because once you're building those relationships, then it's a lot easier to either get into a space or to have those conversations when you want to do something.
And always be willing and ready to do the work.
Featured image by Hosea Johnson