Actor Jonathan Majors, Convicted In Domestic Violence Case, Avoids Jail Time

Celebrities are in the spotlight. That’s one of the unfortunate aspects of being someone who is high profile, and actors are especially vulnerable to public scrutiny. Many people use their fame and public platform for good, or to speak on issues that matter to them, but being in the spotlight is not always a good thing for celebrities who find themselves in hot water. 

Famous Roles for Majors

One such actor is Jonathan Majors. Majors is an actor who rose to fame for roles in movies like The Last Black man in San Francisco and the HBO horror series Lovecraft Country. He also starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang the Conqueror, appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the Disney+ series Loki as the character.

Majors was set to continue to reprise the role as Kang the Conquerer in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, and appeared to  be a budding star in movies and television. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in Lovecraft Country, though he didn’t ultimately win the award. 

Majors Arrested For Domestic Violence

All of that positive attention halted in spring of 2023, though, when Majors was arrested for physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. 

Majors was found guilty of the crime in December of that same year. He was ultimately charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment, and after the conviction, he was dropped from multiple upcoming projects. His future involvement with the MCU was immediately cut, and Majors stepped back from the spotlight, waiting to see if he would be sentenced to jail or not. 

Companies Supporting Victims

It’s understandable that Majors was so strongly rebuked after being found guilty for domestic violence. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, many companies have been leery of being seen as supportive of predators, or dismissive of victims.

Disney as a company, in particular, has pushed the #MeToo movement, standing publicly with victims who have come forward about various crimes that have been committed against them. Keeping Majors on as an actor after being found guilty of assault would have been a significant stain on Disney’s reputation, one that they’re certainly eager to avoid. 

Sentencing Handed Down

For his sentence, Majors faced a maximum possible punishment of 364 days in jail. However, this past week, Majors got the good news that he wouldn’t be facing jail time for his actions against his ex-girlfriend, at all. 

Instead, prosecutor Kelli Galaway said that domestic violence programming along with an order of protection against Jabbari would suffice. The judge agreed, stating that “jail is not necessary” for Majors. 

Sentenced to a 52-Week Program

Majors must complete a 52-week in-person batterers intervention program in Los Angeles, and continue his mental health counseling while staying away from Grace Jabbari. Given the potential jail time that was associated with his charges, it’s safe to say that Majors got off light in the grand scheme of things. 

Galaway was quick to state that she didn’t believe in Majors’ innocence, though. “This defendant is no longer cloaked with the presumption of innocence. Despite the jury’s verdict, the defendant has still refused to accept any responsibility for his actions.”

A Victim Impact Statement From Jabbari

Jabbari spoke up against her ex, using her victim impact statement to say that Majors “remains a danger to others.”

She went on, speaking about the “extreme physical and emotional pain” she said she sustained “both immediately and over the months that followed” their March 2023 altercation.

“He Will Abuse Other Women”

“When I was with him I became a different version of myself. I was small, scared and vulnerable,” she said. “He is not sorry. He has not accepted responsibility. And he will do it again. He will abuse other women.”

Jabbari’s statement is in line with what many victims of domestic violence have said about their abusers. Oftentimes, individuals who have been abused, whether that’s physically, verbally, emotionally, or sexually, will become a shadow of themselves. They shrink down, and make themselves as “small” as possible in order to avoid the wrath of their abuser, which is the experience that Jabbari seems to be expressing in her statement.

One Count of Assault, One Count of Harrassment

Majors was convicted of one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault, and one count of second-degree harassment. However, he was acquitted of two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment in a split verdict after the trial last winter. The split verdict indicated that the jury believed that Majors committed the assault against his ex, but that he didn’t mean to. 

Jabbari testified during the trial that the altercation occurred after she tried to grab his phone when seeing a questionable message pop up, making her wonder if he was being unfaithful. She described Majors pulling her right hand behind her back while holding the phone in her left hand, stating, “It just felt like he was twisting my arm and my hand and trying to make me feel pain.”

Jabbari Sustained Injuries

Prosecutors said that Jabbari fractured her finger in the altercation, and showed jurors photos that were taken by police of her injuries. These included a cut to her ear and the bruised and swollen finger that was referred to by the prosecution.

Majors declined to take the stand in his own defense during the trial, but in January, he took a sit-down interview with Linsey Davis. There, he denied twisting her arm and causing those injuries, saying, “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.”

A Civil Suit Pending

Prior to sentencing, Majors requested to have the conviction thrown out. The request was denied by Gaffey, writing, “The jury reasonably could have concluded that Defendant recklessly caused physical injury to Ms. Jabbari.”

Jabbari has also sued the actor for defamation and other alleged injuries in the months since the conviction in December. She is seeking damages for physical injuries she said she suffered as a result of the incident. She also claimed that Majors committed “intentional infliction of emotional distress” against her and ”made knowingly false statements” about her during his interview with Davis, according to the complaint.

Staying Silent at Sentencing

Ahead of sentencing, Majors embraced his current girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, before taking his seat at the defense table. He read from the Bible before the judge took the bench. 

Defense attorney Priya Chaudhry said that Majors declined to speak at sentencing due to the civil lawsuit against him from Jabbari. “This has been the most challenging year of Mr. Majors’ life. He promises to complete whatever program the court orders with an open heart.”

Returning to Acting?

Chaudhry also added that Majors and his legal team were hopeful that he would be back to acting sooner rather than later. It’s unlikely that he will be able to take any major roles while he is completing his sentencing, meaning that any potential acting gigs that Majors might take are likely a year or more out. 

And unfortunately for Majors, that’s if he can move past this mark on his record at all. Post #MeToo, many directors and producers are much less forgiving of working people who have a criminal record for violent actions, especially domestic violence. It’s an unfortunately bad look for studios, so Majors may have ended his career far before its end date in a fit of rage and lack of control. 

A Long Road Ahead for Majors

Majors will begin his sentence very shortly with his intervention program, and the civil case that was brought against him by Ms. Jabbari is the next legal battle that the actor will have to face. 

It’s likely that Majors is hoping that this incident will fade from the public subconscious quickly, so that he can move on with his life and get back to his career. Unfortunately for Majors, the internet has a long memory, and his ongoing civil trial will continue to bring his actions back into the spotlight. It will be many years before fans of Marvel forget about Majors’ actions, if they ever do.