Jonathan Majors to stand trial for domestic assault case
Jonathan Majors must stand trial for domestic violence after a New York judge denied the motion to dismiss the case.
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Jonathan Majors has a message for Hollywood: You haven’t seen the last of me yet.
In his first comprehensive interview since a 2023 trial landed him with a guilty verdict for some of the charges he faced in assaulting ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, the actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he takes (some) accountability and revealed he suffered his own abuse as a child.
“At some point there has to be accountability for writing your own story,” he told the outlet in a cover story published Friday. “Am I going to fall into that narrative of falling apart, of self-destruction? Have a struggle, blame the world. Have a struggle, hate yourself. Have a struggle, deny everything. None of those narratives is beneficial.”
In his wide-ranging conversation with the outlet, Majors also revealed that he had been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, which he began working through in therapy after the trial, sharing the news with his mother and reengaging with his pastor. Working through his past has shed some light on the present, he said.
“There are no excuses, but by getting help, you begin to understand things about yourself,” he told THR.
Following a meteoric Hollywood rise that spanned independent films, the Michael B. Jordan-backed “Creed” franchise and a coveted Marvel movie treatment, Majors swiftly fell from grace after the alleged altercation with Jabbari became public.
Jonathan Majors making Hollywood comeback after assault trial
The trial surrounded an alleged fight in an SUV driving through New York in which Jabbari accused Majors of striking her in the head with his open hand, twisting her arm behind her back and squeezing her middle finger until it fractured. Majors denied the claims and accused Jabbari of being the aggressor.
The actor was charged with three counts of third-degree assault, one count of second-degree harassment and one count of aggravated harassment. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and went to trial in late 2023. The jury ultimately delivered a mixed verdict, acquitting him on three of the five charges and finding him guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation. A judge later sentenced him to probation along with a yearlong domestic violence intervention program.
Majors’ latest film, “Magazine Dreams,” will finally hit theaters March 21 after it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival two years ago.
His conversation with THR did not deal directly with the facts of the trial but was peppered with statements from other Hollywood A-listers supporting his good character.
“You don’t get to say sorry these days,” said Whoopi Goldberg, Majors’ former co-star who has also acted alongside his current fiancée Meagan Good. “He was arrested. He went to court. He did what he was supposed to do. I’m not sure what else there is.”
Maura Hooper, one of Majors’ ex-girlfriends, whose testimony of her own abusive experiences with the actor figured into the trial, offered a differing perspective.
“I don’t really care that his movie is coming out,” Hooper told the outlet. “What do you get at the end of a 52-week domestic violence course? Do the victims get a debrief? How could I know if he’s changed? I don’t see redemption happening here.”
Jonathan Majors received support from Michael B. Jordan, Matthew McCounghey
Support from several of Hollywood’s leading men is part of the foundation of Majors’ shaky comeback.
Jordan, who starred with Majors in “Creed III,” said in an email to THR: “I would love to make ‘Creed IV’ together — among other projects.” His statement follows another recent round of support from a GQ interview published last month. In it, Jordan called Majors “my boy” and said he was “proud of his resilience and his strength through it all.”
“I’ve known and know him as someone who is continuously striving to improve as a human, a man and an actor. I believe in him,” Matthew McCounghey, who acted alongside Majors in 2018’s “White Boy Rick,” also shared in an email to THR.
Good, who began dating Majors months after his arrest, said she never considered abandoning him during the trial. The “Harlem” actress was a courtroom staple during the ordeal, oft-pictured next to the actor as a pillar of support.
“People tend to move out of the way out of concern for their careers or their reputations,” she told the outlet. “To me, that’s not real love. If you know someone and if you believe in someone, it’s not conditional.”
Jonathan Majors focused on building life with fiancée Meagan Good
As for Majors’ next chapter, he’s focused on building a life with Good and taking care of his daughter, Ella, who he has from a previous relationship.
“Growing up poor, I had that muscle memory,” he told the outlet of making money to support himself and Ella. “I was used to getting out there, finding a way. But it’s actually harder to find a way when you are trapped in notoriety. You can’t get out there and just work.”
He told the magazine he’s reading a few scripts and planning on expanding his wellness business alongside Good.
“Do I hope to make more movies? Absolutely. That is my intention. But that’s not my call. I don’t have a studio. And I’ve given up control.”
Contributing: USA TODAY Entertainment staff
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