Before the public tweets and internet backlash, Keke Palmer and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, opened up about having a publicized relationship.

Yesterday (July 11), Wondery Media dropped its latest episode of the 29-year-old’s podcast “Baby, This is Keke Palmer.” During the discussion, the Alice star and Jackson talked about the strains of having a romance in the public eye. “At first, it definitely was hard because it could all be very overwhelming. It was definitely overwhelming and intense at first,” he said. Palmer agreed, “It was.”

Jackson continued, “And it’s like, you almost feel that pressure of needing to be perfect. And so, it really confused me and infiltrated my mind because not only did I have to hold myself to that perfect standard, I was also holding you to a perfect standard as well.” He noted, “So, any moment of flaw on my side or on your side, it was World War III because it’s like…” before Palmer commented, “And now the world sees us.” Jackson added, “Exactly.”

According to People, the discussion was recorded before Jackson’s publicized tweets last week. As REVOLT previously reported, Palmer attended Usher’s Las Vegas residency performance. She shared a video of herself enjoying the show and even being serenaded by the “Superstar” singer.

On Twitter, Jackson revealed his thoughts on her outfit, a see-through mesh dress, at the concert. He quickly received backlash for sharing his opinion, which many believed should have been made known privately with Palmer. “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,” Jackson tweeted. “This is my family and my representation. I have standards and morals to what I believe. I rest my case.” Palmer seemingly responded to the ordeal on Instagram by writing, “One thing is certain, and one thing is true, I’M A MOTHA, through and through!” Watch the podcast episode below: