“I felt sadness, hurt, surprise” — Jonathan Majors tearfully reflects on legal battle while accepting Hollywood Unlocked’s Perseverance Award

Jonathan Majors, a former Marvel star, tearfully accepted the Perseverance Award on Friday, June 21, 2024, at the fourth annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards. During his acceptance speech, Majors opened up about his emotions over his experiences from the previous year.

He said:

"As a Black man in the criminal justice system, I felt anger, I felt sadness, hurt, surprise. I didn't feel like Jonathan Majors, Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang; I felt like a little scared, weak boy, despite the support and evidence that was in my favor, I knew sh*t was bad."

He further said:

"This is what happens to Black people all too often."

He had been facing serious legal and personal difficulties for over six months. In April 2024, he was found guilty by a Manhattan jury of one minor domestic assault offense and one harassment infraction.

This happened after his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari's accusations that he had allegedly beaten her in a private car after she had taken his phone to read a text message from a different woman.

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Jonathan Majors opened up about his legal issue in his acceptance speech for the Perseverance Award

Majors opened up about his recent legal struggle (Image via Getty)

Jonathan Majors accepted the Perseverance Award during his appearance at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards on Friday, June 21, 2024. Iyanla Vanzant, an inspirational speaker, presented Majors with his award on stage. The ceremony took place in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton during the fourth annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards.

He began a tearful 17-minute speech on his trial and misdemeanor conviction for domestic abuse after accepting the award. He also fought back tears as he went on:

“When they snatched me up out of my apartment in handcuffs, I didn’t feel like all that.”

Referring to his previous roles in Creed III and Loki, he continued by saying that, at that particular time, he didn't feel like Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang, or Jonathan Majors. The actor shared that despite the proof and support in his favor, he felt like a scared, weak youngster and knew the situation was awful.

His acceptance speech came after an emotional clip that emphasized Majors' professional accomplishments as well as his struggles. Thinking back on his experience, he stated:

“Perseverance means persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay. The God I serve has put me in a position where I’ve had to embody that word more than I wished or wanted.”

Jonathan Majors also sobbed during his speech, after which Vanzant returned to the stage and wiped his face. Then, Majors acknowledged:

"We live in a world where men, Black men in particular, are propped up as either superheroes or super villains. But I’ve come to realize, me, personally, I ain’t none of that."

He then spoke gratefully about the private support that he received from his industry friends like Will Smith, and Tyler Perry, who texted him and was always there for him.

He concluded the speech by saying:

“I command myself to be shoulders to our community, to my queen, to our industry, to our culture. And just to Ella, my baby girl, we’re gonna be alright, your father loves you. I love y’all, I thank you for this. To be in this room with these great entertainers, these great Black artists, woo. Ain’t no place like home.”

The award ceremony followed the incident when a Manhattan jury found Majors guilty in December 2023 of misdemeanor assault and allegedly harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in the backseat of a car in March 2023. Jonathan Majors refuted the claims, claiming that Jabbari was the one who had attacked.

The judge granted him a conditional release rather than a year in prison. This necessitates that Majors continue his mental health therapy and finish a 52-week in-person intervention program in Los Angeles.

Additionally, he has to follow Jabbari's no-contact order. Majors intends to abide by the court's orders even though he expects to appeal the conviction.

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Jonathan Majors' career has been severely impacted by the legal difficulties, as he has lost out on several roles. Majors was also fired by Marvel Studios following the incident and reportedly won’t be returning as Kang in the MCU series or movies.