Jonathan Majors Bares All: From Childhood Abuse to MCU Firing

The trajectory of Jonathan Majors' career seemed destined for greatness, especially after being cast as Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, behind the scenes, a brewing storm of personal challenges that had him thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, became the downfall of this once-promising star. 

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Majors bared it all; from the painful scars of childhood sexual abuse that led to depression as an adult, to the shocking fall from grace within the MCU, Majors’ story seems to be anything but ordinary. 

In March 2023, Majors was arrested following allegations of assault and harassment by his ex-girlfriend, British dancer Grace Jabbari. The trial was a highly publicized one and by December 2023, a jury convicted Majors of one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault and one count of second-degree harassment.  

The backlash from the incident was swift. He was dropped from the movie 48 Hours in Las Vegas, a movie about Dennis Rodman, and the adaptation of the novel The Man in My Basement. The United States Army also suspended their recruiting commercials that featured Majors. His management company, Entertainment 360, and PR firm, The Lede Company, also terminated their agreements with the actor. His invitation to the 2023 Met Gala was also rescinded.   

The most significant blow came when Marvel Studios, which had invested so much in Majors as the next big villain in the MCU, made the decision to part ways with him (the Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was reworked into Avengers: Doomsday featuring Doctor Doom as the main antagonist instead of Majors’ Kang the Conqueror). 

Majors, who pleaded not guilty, told THR, “There were days when it was like, ‘Is this real?’ It’s a heartbreak like I’ve never experienced, and it just compounded and compounded.” In the interview, Majors also said how “there has to be accountability for writing your own story.”  

He thought hard on how he’s going to deal with what’s happening in his life and if he’s going to fall into that “narrative of falling apart, of self-destruction” and “blame the world,” hate himself, or “deny everything” for his struggles. He rationalized, “None of those narratives is beneficial,” and instead to just focus and “learn, metabolize, grow” after a struggle. 

However, it seems Majors' supposed comeback via the movie Magazine Dreams, is premature since a resurfaced audio clip obtained by Rolling Stone had Majors admitted to strangling Jabbari. In the lawsuit that Jabbari filed, which she also dropped in November 2024, she alleged Majors strangled her. 

In the audio clip, Majors can be heard saying he “aggressed” Jabbari, with her interjecting, “You strangled me and pushed me against the car.” 

Maura Hooper, one of Majors’ ex-girlfriends who experienced emotional abuse from him, told THR, “I don’t really care that his movie is coming out. What do you get at the end of a 52-week domestic violence course? Do the victims get a debrief? How could I know if he’s changed? I don’t see redemption happening here.”