What you should know
- Actor Jonathan Majors was sentenced to probation but avoided jail Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that affected his film career.
- The 34-year-old actor of “Creed III” and other films faced up to a year behind bars after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of misdemeanor assault in December.
- Following the guilty verdict, Majors was immediately fired by Marvel Studios, which had cast him as Kang the Conqueror, a role planned as the main villain in the entertainment empire’s films and television shows for years to come.
NEW YORK — Actor Jonathan Majors was sentenced to probation and ordered to complete a year-long counseling program, but avoided jail Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that affected his career in film.
The 34-year-old actor of “Creed III” and other films faced up to a year behind bars after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of misdemeanor assault in December.
Judge Michael Gaffey also ordered Majors to complete an in-person batterer intervention program. She also has to continue her mental health therapy.
Following the guilty verdict, Majors was immediately fired by Marvel Studios, which had cast him as Kang the Conqueror, a role planned as the main villain in the entertainment empire’s films and television shows for years to come.
The conviction stems from a March 2023 altercation in which Majors’ then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, accused him of attacking her in the back seat of a chauffeured car, saying he hit her head with his open hand, twisted her arm behind his back and squeezed his finger until it fractured.
During a victim impact statement on Monday, Jabbari said the incident left her in extreme physical and emotional pain.
Majors claimed the 31-year-old British dancer was the aggressor, and flew into a jealous rage after reading a text message from another woman on her phone. She maintained that she was just trying to get her phone back and escape from Jabbari safely.
The jury ultimately convicted him of one count of assault and one count of harassment violation, although they acquitted him of a different count of assault and aggravated harassment.
After the sentencing, Majors did not comment as he left the courtroom.
Majors hoped his two-week criminal trial would vindicate him and restore his status in Hollywood.
In a television interview shortly after his conviction, he said he deserves a second chance.
“As he eagerly waits to close this chapter, he looks forward to redirecting his time and energy fully toward his family and his art,” Majors’ attorneys said in a statement last week after losing his bid to overturn the conviction.
But the 34-year-old California native and Yale University graduate still faces other legal hurdles. Last month, Jabbari filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan, accusing the actor of assault, defamation and infliction of emotional distress.
She claims that Majors subjected her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship, which lasted from 2021 to 2023.
Majors’ lawyers have declined to respond to the allegations, saying only that they are preparing to file countersuits against Jabbari.
The actor had his breakout role in 2019’s “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” He also starred in the HBO horror series “Lovecraft Country,” which earned him an Emmy nomination, and as the nemesis of fictional boxing champion Adonis Creed. in the box office hit “Creed III.”
As for Marvel, there remains a looming question: whether the studio will recast Kang’s role or pivot in a new direction.
Majors’ departure was part of a recent series of high-profile setbacks for the vaunted superhero factory, which has earned an unprecedented $30 billion worldwide from 33 films.
2024-04-08 16:38:07
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