The actor Jonathan Majors has said he was “shocked and afraid” after a jury found him guilty of assaulting and harassing a former girlfriend and has complained about Marvel dropping him from future movies.
Majors’s comments Monday to ABC News drew swift criticism from his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari’s attorney, who said that the actor “continues to take no accountability for his actions”.
The attorney, Brittany Henderson, added in a statement: “The timing of these new statements demonstrates a clear lack of remorse for the actions for which he was found guilty and should make the sentencing decisions fairly easy for the court.”
In his first interview since the guilty verdict against him, Majors said on ABC’s Good Morning America that he planned to appeal the jury’s decision in December to find him guilty of third-degree assault and second-degree harassment of Jabbari. The actor was acquitted of two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment in the split verdict.
“I’m standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, ‘How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution’s evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?’” Majors said in the ABC interview. He said he was “shocked and afraid” when the verdict arrived.
Asked by interviewer Linsey Davis how Jabbari suffered a cut behind her ear and a fractured finger after their altercation in a car in New York, Majors paused before saying: “I wish to God I knew. That would give me clarity, that would give me some type of peace about it.” Majors said of Jabbari that “I was reckless with her heart” but not with her body and denied ever hitting her or any other woman.
“I’m an athlete. I’m a sportsman. I know my body. I know how it moves. I know my strength, or lack thereof, you know? None of that was employed on her,” he said.
In the wake of the guilty decision, Marvel axed Majors from future roles playing Kang, a super-villain in the movie studio’s universe. He was set to reprise his role as Kang in Avengers: Kang Dynasty – set for a 2026 release – as well as the Disney series Loki.
Majors’s management company also dropped him, and the US army removed him from recruiting advertisements for the military branch.
The actor told ABC that it was “like the world stopped” when he learned of Marvel’s decision.
He added: “It’s like you work so hard for things. And then, you know, it’s done.”
Asked if he believed he would return to Hollywood productions, Majors said: “Heck yeah, I do. I pray I do. But it’s God’s plan and God’s timing.”
Majors is scheduled to be sentenced in February, when he faces the prospect of up to a year in prison for the assault conviction. The harassment conviction carries a potential sentence of 15 days in jail and a $250 fine.
