In a startling turn of events, actor Jonathan Majors faces mounting PR troubles ahead of his May 8 court appearance on domestic violence charges. According to insiders, multiple alleged abuse victims have come forward since his March arrest, now cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Variety reports. This development arrives on the heels of Majors’ publicists and management firm severing ties with the beleaguered star.
Despite the District Attorney declining to comment, Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, maintains the actor’s innocence, asserting that they have provided irrefutable evidence to prove the charges are false. Chaudhry’s husband, Andrew Bourke, now serving as Majors’ crisis publicist, released a series of text messages intended to exonerate the “Creed III” star.
However, these messages seemed to raise more questions than answers for those in business with the actor. While not independently verified, the woman allegedly wrote to Majors, “I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone,” and emphasized that she told the police “this was not an attack.” She continued, expressing her frustration with the situation and her desire to ensure that “nothing happens” to him.
In a subsequent message, the woman assured Majors that she was doing everything she could on her end and informed him that the origin of the 911 call was related to her collapsing and losing consciousness. However, these text messages seem to have had the opposite effect on those in business with the actor, raising more questions than answers and prompting concerns about why the woman had lost consciousness.
One individual working with Majors on an upcoming project remarked, “It read like a bad Lifetime movie. They basically look like the text messages of a textbook abused woman.” The release of these messages adds yet another layer of complexity to the actor’s already precarious situation, with his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other projects hanging in the balance.
In the aftermath of Majors’ March 26 arraignment on misdemeanor charges for assault and aggravated harassment, additional concerns have surfaced. Broadway actor Tim Nicolai, who appeared opposite Rachel Weisz in the Public Theater production of “Plenty,” took to Twitter, expressing both relief and dismay at the situation. He noted that many in the industry are close with individuals Majors has allegedly harmed and that it is up to those individuals to decide whether to speak out.
When contacted by Variety, Nicolai stood by his statements and expressed support for the victims he is aware of, allowing them to choose how to proceed. He also mentioned that no one from Majors’ camp had reached out to him following his tweets.
Though WME, Majors’ agency, has yet to drop the actor, the industry is abuzz with the news that his publicists and Management 360 have already cut ties. With a number of jobs already lost, including MLB’s Texas Rangers 2023 season ad campaign and Valentino’s Met Gala, other projects now seen unlikely to happen or be announced in the meantime.
Disney, monitoring the rapidly evolving situation, has ample time to deliberate before making a decision about the star’s involvement in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Meanwhile, the actor has stepped down from the board of the Gotham Film and Media Institute and his work with the Sidney Poitier Initiative.
As the situation continues to unfold, the entertainment industry eagerly awaits Marvel’s decision regarding Majors’ involvement in their upcoming projects. The company’s response will likely have a significant impact on the actor’s future and could potentially influence the decisions of other studios and projects that have yet to determine their course of action.
