Actor Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles have kept him in the news over the last few months. Majors was tried on assault charges amidst the high-profile lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. The lawsuit resulted in Majors being dropped from several projects. He was eventually found guilty and fired by Marvel Studios as well.
The lawsuit has also been the subject of intense speculation, discussion, and media scrutiny. Mark Anthony Neal, an expert on African-American studies has presented a new take on the case and cited racial stigma as the primary reason for the verdict coming against Majors. Here is what Neal had to say about the Jonathan Majors lawsuit and why he feels the actor’s fate was already sealed.
African-American Studies Expert Talks Racist Stigma in Jonathan Majors’ Case
Jonathan Majors rose to fame after his role in Lovecraft Country and gained further recognition for playing Kang the Conqueror in the MCU. However, Majors’ career was derailed after he was arrested on assault, strangulation, and harassment charges in March 2023.
On November 29, 2023, the trial against Jonathan Majors began and he was later found guilty. While Majors awaits sentencing in his case, the entire legal situation shocked Mark Anthony Neal, the Head of the African and African-American studies department at Duke University.
In an in-depth interview with the Los Angeles Times, Neal revealed that after the allegations against Majors came to light he instantly felt the actor’s fate was sealed because of racial stigma surrounding black men in the country. Neal articulated his thoughts in the following words:
“It was a bad look, considering not only the culture at large but also thinking about how Black Americans would respond. I felt it would be difficult for him to navigate the situation.”
Neal made the above statement highlighting how he felt that Majors’ relationship with his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, a white woman, and the stigma around interracial relationships would negatively affect Majors’ ability to defend himself against the allegations.
Mark Anthony Neal Casts Doubt on Jonathan Majors Repairing His Reputation
Following the allegations against Majors, the actor was dropped as a client by the management and public relations firms he was associated with. He was later fired by Disney-owned Marvel Studios amidst other career setbacks.
During the interview, Neal opined that he felt Majors’ post-trial media interactions caused even more damage to his career and image than the trial itself. Neal stated that the actor’s post-conviction behavior affected his credibility and ability to repair his public image following the trial’s verdict.
“When he gets on TV and essentially compares himself to a Martin Luther King who needs a Coretta, it suggests just how out of touch he is with what is happening to him at this moment.”
Neal made the above statement referencing an interview given by Majors in January 2023. The interview addressed an audio tape presented in court as evidence, wherein Majors can be heard comparing himself to Martin Luther King Jr.
In the same interview, Majors stated that he felt he still had a future in Hollywood despite his conviction on December 18, 2023. Majors was found guilty of two out of the four charges levied against him in court. His sentencing was scheduled for February 6, 2024, but has since been postponed to April 8, 2024, due to post-conviction motions filed by Majors’ lawyers.
