Jonathan Majors has had a very tumultuous past two years, yet many think the end may not be in sight. As of now this is Hollywood’s major story.
These days there aren’t many exciting, new and upcoming actors. Even still, fewer can claim to have the rise that Johnathan Majors has enjoyed. His meteoric rise to fame has been unlike anything seen in Hollywood from a black actor in at least 20 years. Equally so, this gives credence to why his fall has been equally astounding. How did Majors go from lynchpin villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with numerous other projects slated to be released, to awaiting sentencing on misdemeanor harassment and assault charges? Was he an abuser flying under the radar or is he an intense, misunderstood artist battling demons?
“Jonathan Majors: Rough Beginnings”
Johnathan Michael Majors was born in Lompoc, California on September 7th, 1989. The middle child of three, Majors has described his childhood as difficult after his father left the family. His mother moved them to various towns in Texas and he grew up with alleged drug dealers and murderers as neighbors. Majors has admitted that he was arrested for shoplifting, suspended from school for fighting and, once was kicked out by his mother. This was the beginning of his time living in his car and working two jobs to survive.
How did Majors go from lynchpin villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with numerous other projects slated to be released, to awaiting sentencing on misdemeanor harassment and assault charges?
What brought him to acting you may ask? Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was his inspiration. Though not a stage play, this singular movie pushed him to find solace in theatre. The nuance and complexity in which Heath Ledger played the Joker reminded Majors of the criminals he grew up around. He went on to get a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and later attended the esteemed Yale School of Drama, obtaining a Masters of Fine Arts in 2016.
Jonathan Majors (center), Jurnee Smolett (right), and Courtney B Vance (left) courtesy of Spoilertv
Jonathan Majors: The Faster They Rise…
2017-2019 pivoted Majors’ rise. Majors played Ken Jones, a real-life gay activist, on When We Rise. Following that, Majors starred in his first feature film called Hostiles, which also showcased big name actors such as Christian Bale and Ben Foster. By 2019, Majors garnered acclaim when he led The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Critics such as Manohla Dargis of the New York Times described his performance as “a mournful heartbreaker”. President Barack Obama also rated the movie as one of the best films of 2019.
The best was yet to come. In 2020, Majors would star along with the late, great Chadwick Boseman and Delroy Lindo in the drama Da 5 Bloods. But what turned him into a household name, and the fantasy of many, was his layered and emotional role as Atticus Freeman in Lovecraft Country. Once again, his performance was beloved by critics and viewers alike. It was greatly disappointing to many that there wouldn’t be a second season with speculation that behind the scenes the project was very hard on the production staff and the actors.
The nuance and complexity in which Heath Ledger played the Joker reminded Majors of the criminals he grew up around.
To add to his already impressive filmography, Majors starred in The Harder They Fall, Creed III and, even more exciting, debuted as “He Who Remains” on the Marvel/Disney+ show Loki. The latter role was received very well by comic book lovers and casual Marvel fans. Majors’ portrayal of the variant of the time traveling “Kang the Conqueror” gave many a hopeful outlook for the future of the MCU after the stunning conclusion of the Infinity Gauntlet Saga. To put it simply, Majors’ accomplishments were getting brighter as the years went on and had no signs of dimming any time soon.
Jonathan Majors: …The Harder They Fall.
Then March 25th, 2023 came to be and everything changed. According to Majors he found his partner at the time, British dancer Grace Jabbari, unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment. He further stated that the night before, the two had an altercation which led to him spending the night in a hotel. When he returned home and found Jabbari unresponsive, he immediately called 911 for assistance. He was subsequently arrested for assault, strangulation and harassment charges.
The reactions were swift and severe. Once beloved by many women, especially women of color, Majors has been decried as just another abusive man in Hollywood. Via various sources, former classmates at Yale recalled incidents where Majors was abusive to women he was dating while a student (none of these women have issued statements of their own) and how generally unpleasant a person he was. Rolling Stone took it a step further and published a report about his pattern of abuse towards at least two partners while Variety reported more women had accused Majors of abuse and working with the Manhattan DA.
Both his management and public relations firm dropped him as a client, which the public saw as a clear sign of his guilt. Majors lost many upcoming roles, such as an untitled Dennis Rodman biopic and an adaptation of Walter Moseley’s The Man in My Basement. By October 2023, Disney removed the highly anticipated Magazine Dreams from its release schedule.
Jonathan Majors (left), Jurnee Smollet (right) Courtesy SpoilerTV
Things took a turn
How could things get worse for Majors at this point? The flood of information about his relationship with Jabbari made his name poisonous to many projects. Text messages between the two seemed to spell out an abusive relationship where, at one point, Majors expressed suicidal ideations after a physical incident in London. Majors’ lawyers released a text exchange where he broke up with Jabbari, and she appears to admit that the whole situation spiraled out of control. None of the text messages endeared him to the public. By the time his trial began on November 29th, 2023, many thought this trial would either redeem him or put the nail in the coffin of his young career.
On December 18th, of that year the court convicted him of two misdemeanors. He committed reckless assault in the 3rd degree and harassment. His lawyers filed post-conviction motions, so the court postponed his sentencing until April 8th, 2024. Separately, Disney announced that they released Majors from his role as Kang the Conqueror. There was no indication that this was due to a poor outing by his last Marvel project. Viewers and critics universally panned Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
What about the Future?
Johnathan Majors built his career over six years. In less than a year, he caused it to evaporate. What possibly can happen next for him? The project, Magazine Dreams, is complete, yet it plays on no streamer or movie screen. He completed his last major role, but Marvel will relegate it to a misstep. To top it all off, he could still face jail time for his two misdemeanor charges. Majors recently did a Good Morning America interview where he discussed the case for the first time. Impassioned, he revealed his mental health struggles. The only bright spot he could describe was his relationship with actress Megan Good. They have dated since May 2023. For now, he lays low and, like the rest of us, waits to see where the final shoe drops.
Sources
Dargis, Manohla (June 6, 2019). “‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’ Review: Lost in a Dream City”. The New York Times.
Hoffman, Jordan. “What Are Barack Obama’s Favorite Movies and TV Shows of 2019?”. Vanity Fair.
Siegel, Tatiana (April 19, 2023). “Jonathan Majors’ Issues Worsen as More Alleged Abuse Victims Cooperate With D.A.’s Office (EXCLUSIVE)”. Variety.
Murray, Tom (April 21, 2023). “Jonathan Majors article”. The Independent.
Curto, Justin (June 30, 2023). “Jonathan Majors Allegedly Has a History of Abuse”. Vulture
Carras, Christi (March 30, 2023). “Jonathan Majors’ attorney releases text messages allegedly sent by woman after arrest”. Los Angeles Times.
