Actor Jonathan Majors, convicted last month of assault, invoked Coretta Scott King’s name in a recent interview, likening his girlfriend to the civil rights leader. On Wednesday, he clarified his comments after facing criticism.
The former Marvel Studios star had been speaking about how loyal actor Meagan Good has been since he was found guilty in December of assault and harassment against a former girlfriend.
“(Good’s) an angel,” Majors told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday. “She’s held me down like a Coretta (Scott King). I’m so blessed to have her. The relationship is still fresh, but you know, I think I found her.”
Though Bernice King — the youngest daughter of Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — did not explicitly respond to Majors’ statements, she shared some thoughts about the use of her mother’s name Tuesday on X , formerly Twitter.
“My mother wasn’t a prop,” wrote the lawyer, minister and chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. “She was a peace advocate before she met my father and was instrumental in him speaking out against the Vietnam War. Please understand … my mama was a force.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
King then shared a link an article she wrote for HuffPost in 2017 in which she spoke about her mother’s many accomplishments before, during and after she married MLK Jr.
“Before she was a King, my mother was a civil rights activist, a member of the NAACP and the Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees at Antioch College,” King wrote at the time. “Coretta Scott was determined that her life would serve to lift others. She was already a woman of great character.”
Then on Wednesday after the King response was making its way around social media, Majors offered some clarification.
In an exclusive with TMZ, he said Coretta Scott King is an inspiration.
“My intention was to convey my utmost respect for Coretta Scott King, her achievements, and both her personal legacy and the one she shares with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King,” Majors told the entertainment news company.
As the Los Angeles Times noted, this week’s interview wasn’t the first time Majors had equated himself to MLK Jr. or one of his partners to Coretta Scott King. In an audio clip played in court during his trial, the actor criticized a former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, for not living up to the standards set by spouses of famous Black men and insisted that she support him like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama supported their respective partners.
“I’m a great man. A great man,” Majors said in the recording. “I am doing great things, not just for me but for my culture and for the world. That’s actually the position I’m in. The woman who supports me needs to be a great woman.”
Of the recording, Majors told ABC News that he was “giving an analogy of what it is I’m aspiring to be. ... I need her to make the same sacrifices that I’m making.”
Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Co. dropped Majors hours after the December verdict.
Majors, who was acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment, will be sentenced on Feb. 6.
As the superhero studio prepared phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it cast the highly acclaimed Majors as the antagonist Kang the Conqueror. The character was to span several films and series.
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Original article by Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times (TNS); L.A. Times staff writer Greg Braxton, AJC staff reports and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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