So far, 2023 has been the year of Jonathan Majors because of his stellar performances as Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Damian in Creed III. The word is that he might be the Best Actor candidate at the Oscars in 2024 for his performance in Magazine Dreams, but all of that could be ruined after his arrest report.
On Saturday, March 25, the Quantumania star was arrested for the alleged assault, strangulation, and harassment of a 30-year-old woman in New York. Reports suggest that he pleaded innocent, and now some new updates in the case state that Majors was the one to call 911 before his arrest.
As per Variety, Majors' criminal defense lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, claimed that he is "completely innocent" as she said:
"Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows. We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently."
Majors is innocent until proven guilty, but Ms. Chaudhry is determined to clear his name as he is the victim, according to her.
"We look forward to clearing his name": Jonathan Majors' representative
Following the arrest of Jonathan Majors, a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement:
"The victim informed police she was assaulted. Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition."
As per Variety, the woman involved claimed that Majors slapped her in the car on the way back home. He put his hand on her neck, injuring her and causing her "substantial pain," which is why the police took him under custody.
But on Saturday, March 25, Majors' representative said in an email to the AP:
"He has done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up."
Since then, new updates in the case have suggested that he is innocent and that he was the one who called 911 over concerns about his girlfriend prior to his arrest for alleged assault. He isn’t in jail anymore.
Majors' lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, also spoke about the witness testimony and the existence of video evidence suggesting that he was the victim in the altercation and that the woman who was allegedly assaulted has now recanted her allegations. Ms. Chaudhry expects the charges against her client to be dropped soon.
The consequences of Majors’ arrest have already begun
Majors recently presented an award at the Oscars and starred in a couple of big-budget movies that impressed many. But the fact that he was arrested and charged has shocked many, especially since he is seen as a very kind figure by everyone in Hollywood. Whether or not he is innocent remains to be seen, but the repercussions of his arrest have begun to haunt his career.
The Creed III star was featured in an ad campaign to help recruit youngsters into the US Army. But since the arrest, the US Army has announced that they'd stop running those advertisements temporarily.
They realize that the actor "is innocent until proven guilty." Still, the Army's Enterprise Marketing Office said that it would be "prudent" of them to remove the ads until the investigation concludes.
Similarly, the likes of Marvel Studios will be eyeing the situation very closely. If Majors is proven guilty upon further investigation, he could lose his gig as Kang the Conqueror and all the glory that is about to come his way. But that only happens if the charges against him don't get dropped.