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The 81st Golden Globe Awards
Jonathan Majors claims there was no physical abuse during his two-year relationship with former girlfriend Grace Jabbari in a new interview with Good Morning America that aired Monday, saying he was “absolutely shocked and terrified” when one Jury convicted him of negligent assault in the third degree and harassment.
The former Marvel star, 34, continued to insist that he did not know how Jabbari, who he met on the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the summer of 2021, sustained her injuries from an argument between the couple March 2023. Majors was accused of attacking the professional dancer, who suffered a broken finger and a cut behind her ear during the fight. Majors claimed he was only “reckless with her heart, not her body,” and reiterated that he was not responsible for her injuries. “That didn’t happen,” he said. “I wish to God I knew [what caused her injuries]. That would provide clarity, that would give me a kind of peace.”
Majors spoke publicly for the first time about his domestic violence trial by sitting down with ABC News anchor Linsey Davis in a pre-recorded interview. The appearance comes before Majors is due back in court for sentencing on February 6, where he faces up to a year in prison.
According to a dozen sources who knew the women, the actor addressed a June 2023 Rolling Stone report that detailed how Majors allegedly physically and/or emotionally abused two former romantic partners. Nine of those sources allege that Majors strangled a woman he was dating and psychologically and emotionally abused her. The second woman allegedly told friends that her relationship with Majors was “emotional torture” and that there were moments of “near-violence” where he would become “filled with rage” and “hit something or a wall.”
In the GMA interview, Majors denied ever being abusive in any relationship, saying that while he had witnessed domestic violence, he had never participated in it. “I've been hit before, but I've never used it,” Majors said. “These relationships go back to when I was 21, 22, and I just think: Was I an idiot? Was I a mean guy? Yes, I know what I know now, oh – severe depression, childhood trauma. I've had very few relationships, so I can relate to the situations we're talking about. Yeah, I wasn’t the best friend back then… but [I] Never hit a woman. My hands have never hit a woman.”
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In a statement accompanying the interview with Majors, Jabbari's attorney, Brittany Henderson, told Rolling Stone, “It is not at all surprising that Mr. Majors continues to accept no responsibility for his actions.” His denigration of our jury system is no different from the above-the-law attitude, which he has maintained throughout these legal proceedings. The timing of these new statements clearly shows that he lacks remorse for the actions for which he was found guilty and should make the court's sentencing fairly easy.
“MS. Jabbari will continue to speak the truth and advocate for justice in the appropriate forums to continue to respect our legal process,” added Henderson.
In his interview, Majors said he was in disbelief when the verdict was announced. “I stand there and the verdict comes down, I say, 'How was that possible?' Based on the evidence, based on the prosecution's evidence, not to mention our evidence, how was that possible?'” Majors said. “If you watch these videos and you do the opposite, and you see a black man chasing a young white girl down the street screaming and crying – that man is being shot and killed on the streets of New York City.”
During an extended version of his interview that aired Monday night, Majors doubled down on his statement, saying he believes race “absolutely” plays a role in the case and that “guilty” might as well be written on his birth certificate. He said it was “hurtful” that Jabbari was not being prosecuted for the injuries she allegedly caused him. Majors filed a police report in June, claiming the dancer attacked him and left scratches on his arm and face. “Why is it hurtful?” Majors asked. “Because I know what happened. At that moment I felt like, 'Oh, I'm nothing.'”
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Majors did not take the stand during the high-profile trial, which lasted two weeks and ended in December with his conviction for attacking Jabbari. Majors said he initially prepared to testify, but in the end he felt his case was so compelling that he didn't need it. Although Majors was acquitted of two additional charges – intentional assault and aggravated harassment – Marvel quickly announced it would no longer be working with the actor, who was set to reprise his role as multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror in the franchise's upcoming film “Avengers: The.” Kang Dynasty.
“It’s like the world stopped,” Majors said of the back-to-back setbacks of the guilty verdict and Marvel’s announcement. “You work so hard for things and then it’s done. And in the same breath I thought, “Man, that was cool”… I was a supervillain. I got to play multiple characters with a group of people who really didn't care about anything other than making really cool movies and giving their actors everything they needed to tell those stories, and I'm so proud of that.”
The “Creed III” star discussed the details of one of the trial's more explosive moments, involving a series of incidents that occurred while the former couple lived together in London, where Majors was filming the second season of “Loki.” Prosecutors showed jurors text messages in which the Majors pleaded with Jabbari not to go to the hospital to receive treatment for a head injury and later threatened to take his own life. (How Jabbari sustained the injury was not specified.)
“It’s simply fake,” Majors wrote in the news. “And I’m afraid you have no idea what might happen if you go to the hospital. They’ll ask you questions, and since I don’t think you’re really protecting us, there could be an investigation even if you lie and they suspect something.”
Majors said he didn’t know “what injuries [Jabbari] what I've been talking about,” but admitted that his “ideas of permanently removing myself from situations is a thought I've had since I was a little boy on the farm in Texas.” It's no longer there. I’m working on keeping it at bay and making sure it’s gone.”
The professional dancer and movement coach testified during the trial that she first met Majors on the set of the Marvel film and described the early stages of their relationship as a romantic whirlwind. However, as their relationship progressed, Jabbari said she became increasingly afraid of Majors. She claimed the actor would fly into a “rage” after such incidents, try to control her behavior, throw glass objects and threaten suicide. During her testimony, Jabbari periodically broke down and explained that she felt responsible for Majors' feelings and became increasingly isolated from her friends and family because she felt she was “lying” by hiding aspects of their relationship from them.
In the interview, Majors called their relationship “dangerous” and said he should have “been brave” and ended things with Jabbari sooner. While Majors admitted he had “lost his temper” at times, he claimed he had “never” been physically abusive during a relationship.
As part of prosecutors' trial in Manhattan, other women's statements about their alleged abusive relationships with Majors were prepared as Molineux evidence – a legal term that allows prosecutors to use previous events to prove that a defendant's behavior “is inseparably linked to it”. the accused acts.” Their statements are currently under seal and were ultimately not admitted to the trial. Some of the Molineux evidence entered the trial following cross-examination of Jabbari by Majors' attorney Priya Chaudhry, which allowed the September 2022 head injury texts to be admitted.
Before his arrest, the majors star was on the rise. He had achieved box office success with the releases of Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in early 2023. And his performance as a lonely bodybuilder with violent fantasies in “Magazine Dreams” caused Oscar buzz after its premiere at Sundance. However, in the wake of the allegations, Majors was quickly dropped by both his management and publicist team, and Searchlight Pictures indefinitely postponed Magazine Dreams' theatrical release in December 2023. The final blow was Marvel's decision to part ways with Majors, despite previously planning the next two films in the franchise around his character. It's unclear whether the studio will recast the role or switch to a different storyline for the upcoming films.
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The Majors referred to his girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, as his “angel” and for standing by him, comparing her to Martin Luther King's wife Coretta Scott King. He said he hopes people believe he deserves a second chance and wants to work in Hollywood again. “I pray I do,” he says. “This is God’s plan and God’s timing.”
This article was updated at 8:23 p.m. to include the in-depth interview with the Majors that aired on Monday evening, January 8th.