Jonathan Majors‘ criminal trial continued on Tuesday in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari is expected to testify the Emmy-nominated actor assaulted her.
Prosecutors accused the “Creed III” star of assaulting Jabbari earlier this year after she said she saw a text message from another woman on his phone. Majors was arrested on March 25 and faces three charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment and harassment. The actor has pleaded not guilty and faces up to a year in prison if convicted.
During her testimony, Jabbari, 30, broke down in tears several times as she detailed the highs and lows of their two-year relationship. She is expected to describe the alleged assault later in her testimony.
Majors, 34, sat at the defense table after arriving at the New York City Criminal Court with a Bible in hand and alongside his current girlfriend Meagan Good, who has attended each day of the proceedings.
The pair met in August 2021 on the London-based set of Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” where Majors had a key acting role and Jabbari worked as a movement coach. Jabbari, a professional dancer and resident of the United Kingdom, described the early stages of their relationship as “amazing.”
“He was really kind and loving. He told me he loved me very early on, which was overwhelming, but I loved it. And I loved him,” she told the jurors. “He wrote me poetry. I felt very loved and cared for and seen.”
The first time she remembers him becoming angry with her was in December 2021, when she was going to meet Majors’ dogs. She alleged that Majors berated her for bringing up a former boyfriend’s pet. “It was the first time I felt scared of him,” she said. “I knew to never mention my ex again or anyone I had dated before.”
Jabbari relayed another incident, in June 2022, as she attended the Glastonbury Festival in England with her friends. She warned her boyfriend that she likely wouldn’t have cell service given the crowds, and when she didn’t, she alleges that Majors became angry with her. “He sent me a ton of messages saying I shouldn’t be there and how dare I go,” she said.
She said she felt guilty that Majors was upset with her, so she left the festival. When she attempted to reunite with Majors, she alleges he wasn’t responding to her messages or calls. “I felt regretful I had upset him in that way,” she said. “He wasn’t talking to me. I was saying everything I knew that would turn him around when he’s in these moods.”
At the time, Majors was intensely preparing to play a bodybuilder in the Sundance drama “Magazine Dreams” and he was “quite stressed” about the pressure of acting in and producing the film, according to Jabbari.
“Immediately after, it was quite nice again,” Jabbari said of their relationship. “He was apologetic and thanked me for my patience with him.”
The jury heard audio that Jabbari recorded of Majors during a fight in September 2022, in which he demanded she behave like Coretta Scott King or Michelle Obama. “I’m a great man. A great man. I do great things for my culture and for the world,” Majors is heard saying in the recording. “The woman that supports me needs to be a great woman.”
Jabbari promised to Majors that she’d never tell anyone about that side of their relationship. “I felt like I had to keep a lot of secrets from everyone,’ she said. “I felt very isolated. It was confusing. I felt scared of him but quite dependent on him.” Their relationship continued because “I loved him,” Jabbari told the jurors.
After fights, Jabbari alleges that Majors would refer to himself as a “monster” and make threats of suicide.
“I pleaded with him [so that] he wouldn’t do that. He would say, ‘It’s in place. It’s in motion.’ I’d say, ‘You can’t do that. What about your mother? What about your daughter?’” Jabbari said. “I would intend to make him feel safe and loved and secure. And he would receive that.”
Jabbari said this took a toll on their relationship and made her feel isolated. “I just felt like I was existing in his world,” she said. “I had low self-esteem. I lost a lot of weight. I felt incompetent and dependent on him. He was the only one who knew what went on.”
Jabbari will continue testifying after a lunch break.
More to come…