Jonathan Majors Addresses Hollywood Future After Guilty Verdict In Assault Trial
The following article contains references to domestic abuse and physical assault.
For much of 2023, Jonathan Majors found himself in a media firestorm after facing allegations of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. In December, Majors was found guilty of second-degree harassment and third-degree assault, practically putting an end to the once-promising career of the "Creed III" star. He'll be sentenced in February, but before that, Majors has shared his side of the story in an interview with "Good Morning America."
With a guilty verdict and the prospect of up to one year in jail, Majors' career has halted for at least the time being. Most notably, Marvel Studios dropped Majors from his role as Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was supposed to lead up to "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." While that particular endgame won't be happening anymore, Majors remains optimistic he could continue acting. When Linsey Davis asked if he thinks he could come back to Hollywood, Majors said, "I pray I do. But it's God's plan and God's timing."
Throughout the interview, Majors maintained his innocence on the assault charge, insisting, "That did not happen," when asked if he inflicted the various injuries on Jabbari. He also claims he has no idea what happened to Jabbari that night to have resulted in such injuries, telling Davis, "I wish to God I knew. That would give clarity; that would give me some type of peace about it."
Jonathan Majors says he regrets some of his decisions
Jonathan Majors' role in the MCU isn't his only casualty to emerge from the guilty verdict. Disney, which owns Marvel Studios and ABC (where "Good Morning America" airs), also pulled his upcoming film "Magazine Dreams" from its release calendar, putting it in a state of limbo for the time being.
In the interview, Majors discussed how he wished he had done things differently regarding his relationship with Grace Jabbari. According to her testimony, Jabbari took Majors' phone while they were in a vehicle together after she saw a text from another woman, and he injured her trying to get the phone back. "If I'm not in the car, none of this is happening," Majors said in the interview. "If I leave the relationship, none of this is happening. If I'm man enough or brave enough to say, 'I want to see someone else' or 'I'm done now,' I'm not in that car. We're not here. I'm responsible for those things." However, he still claimed he wasn't responsible for Jabbari's injuries.
Majors faces up to one year in jail from the verdict, which he could appeal, but there's a good chance he may only face probation. Law professors Heather E. Cucolo and Elaine Chiu spoke with The Los Angeles Times about the case, and they seemed doubtful he'd face jail time due to this being his first offense. However, Cucolo pondered whether Majors' celebrity could hurt him. "The sentencing may very well be tied to who Jonathan Majors is, and how this case has been portrayed in the media to the public and whether or not an example needs to be set," she said. Sentencing will take place on February 6, but it'll take a lot longer for Majors to resume an acting career, if it happens at all.