MLK's daughter says mother 'wasn't a prop' after Jonathan Majors interview
Actor Jonathan Majors leaves the courthouse following closing arguments in Majors domestic violence trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on December 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - The King Center CEO Dr. Bernice King has sent a strong message to actor Jonathan Majors: Be careful when you mention her mother, Coretta Scott King.
King was responding to Majors' first interview since his assault and harassment conviction in December.
In his interview, the former Marvel star referred to his current girlfriend, actress and model Meagan Good, as "a Coretta."
"She’s held me down like a Coretta [Scott King]. I’m so blessed to have her," Majors told ABC News' Linsey Davis. "The relationship is still fresh, but you know, I think I found her."
In response, King, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, shared a photo of her mother on X and wrote, "My mother wasn't a prop."
"She was a peace advocate before she met my father and was instrumental in him speaking out against the Vietnam War," King wrote. "Please understand … my mama was a force."
Jonathan Majors convicted of assault
A New York jury last month found the 34-year-old emerging Hollywood star guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation for a March altercation with his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Majors was acquitted of a different assault charge and aggravated harassment.
Just hours after the verdict, Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co. dropped him from all upcoming projects, according to a person close to the studio who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
In the ABC interview, Majors said that he was shocked by the verdict.
"I was absolutely shocked and afraid," Majors said. "I’m standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, ‘How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution’s evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?’"
Majors faces the possibility of up to a year in jail for the assault conviction at his sentencing on Feb. 6, though probation or other non-jail sentences also are possible.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.