Actor Jonathan Majors, who last month was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, spoke to the media for the first time since his conviction in the domestic violence trial.
In an interview with ABC News, parts of which aired on ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday, Majors denied that he caused any physical harm to his ex, Grace Jabbari, saying he was “reckless with her heart but not her body.”
Jabbari accused Majors of assaulting her last March over an argument they had while riding in a car in Manhattan. According to both parties, Jabbari grabbed Majors’ phone after seeing a text on it that she believed to be from another woman that said, “oh how I wish to be kissing you.” At the time, both were sitting in the back of an SUV. Jabbari said that when she grabbed the phone, Majors tried to take it back, hitting her face and twisting her arm behind her back, fracturing her finger and leaving a cut behind her ear.
Asked in the interview how Jabbari sustained those injuries if he did not cause them, Majors said, “I wish to God I knew. That would give clarity. That would give me some type of peace about it.”
In December, a jury found Majors guilty on misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 and Majors faces up to one year in prison. Following the guilty verdict, Marvel Studios dropped Majors, who played Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki and was being set up as a major villain in the franchise. Majors told ABC News his “world stopped” after Marvel dropped him. “It’s like, you work so hard for things,” he said. “And then, you know, it’s done.”
Jabbari’s lawyer said in a statement to ABC News that, “It is not at all surprising that Mr. Majors continues to take no accountability for his actions. Adding the timing of these new statements demonstrates a clear lack of remorse for his actions.”
Majors said in the interview that he was taken aback by the guilty verdict and that he plans to appeal.
“I was absolutely shocked and afraid,” he said. “I was standing there as the verdict came down and I said how is that possible, based off of the evidence based off of the prosecution's evidence, let alone our evidence?”
Majors said in the interview that he should have ended his relationship with Jabbari sooner. “I shouldn't have been in the car. I should have stepped out of the relationship. I shouldn't have been in the relationship. If I was not in the car, none of this would have happened.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Caitlin Clark Is TIME's 2024 Athlete of the Year
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com