November 7, 2024

Jonathan Majors was ‘shocked and afraid’ by his conviction: ‘I was reckless with her heart, not her body’

Jonathan Majors #JonathanMajors

The Marvel actor was found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment after a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend.

Jonathan Majors is giving his side of the story one month after a New York jury found him guilty of assaulting and harassing ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.

The Creed III actor is currently awaiting sentencing after being convicted on two misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault following a March 2023 domestic dispute with Jabbari. Majors, who has consistently denied all charges against him but declined to testify in court, spoke out on Good Morning America in his first post-trial interview.

Recounting his initial reaction to the verdict, Majors told ABC News Live’s Linsey Davis that he was “absolutely shocked and afraid.”

“I’m standing there and the verdict comes down,” Majors said. “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 was convicted in a split verdict, where he was also acquitted on two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment. Asked about his recklessness charge, Majors said, “I was reckless with her heart, not with her body.”

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Jonathan Majors

Majors was arrested in March on strangulation, assault, and harassment charges regarding his altercation with Jabbari, who claimed that he twisted her arm, struck her head and ear, and shoved her into a car. According to testimony from the trial, the dispute began in an SUV after Jabbari saw a text message from another woman on Majors’ phone.

Prosecutors shared images of Jabbari’s injuries, including a cut on her ear and a bruised and swollen finger. Giving his account of the incident, Majors said, “She went to grab the phone. I held the phone. I pulled the phone back. She came on top of me, squeezed my face, slapped me. That’s all I remember.”

He adamantly denied causing the injuries shown in court, saying, “That did not happen.”

Asked where Jabbari’s injuries came from, Majors was unsure. “I wish to God I knew. That would give clarity. That would give me some type of peace about it,” he said.

“You’re confident you didn’t do it?” Davis asked, to which Majors responded: “I have no question.”

He later said, “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.”

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Johnathan Majors

Just hours after the verdict was read, Marvel announced it was dropping Majors from the role of Kang the Conqueror in upcoming projects, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The actor, who previously played the role in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, was expected to star as the MCU’s next big bad in the vein of Thanos. The studio did not announce plans to recast the films.

Majors told Davis that when he learned of the studio’s decision, it was “like the world stopped.”

He continued, “It’s like you work so hard for things. And then, you know, it’s done.”

That said, Majors expressed confidence in making his Hollywood return. “I pray I do,” he said. “But it’s God’s plan and God’s timing.”

When asked if he feels any responsibility for the altercation with Jabbari, Majors expressed regret for not “stepping out” of the relationship.

“I shouldn’t have been in the car. I shouldn’t have stepped out of the relationship. I shouldn’t have been in the relationship,” Majors said. “If I’m not in the car, none of this is happening. If I leave the relationship, none of this is happening. If I’m man enough or brave enough to say, ‘I want to see somebody else’ or ‘I’m done now,’ I’m not in that car. We’re not here. I’m responsible for those things.”

Responding to Davis’ conversation with Majors’, Jabbari’s attorney said the actor “continues to take no accountability for his actions.”

“His denigration of our jury system is not dissimilar from the above-the-law attitude that he has maintained throughout this legal process,” attorney Brittany Henderson said in a statement to ABC News. “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.”

The actor is scheduled to be sentenced for the two guilty counts on Feb. 6, where he faces up to a year in prison.

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