‘I Am a Great Man’

The judge in Jonathan Majors’ domestic violence trial has permitted the release of a trove of evidence from the case, including voice recordings of Majors chastising his ex-girlfriend, video of Majors shoving her back into a car, photos of both of her injuries, and his text messages pleading with her not to go to the hospital for a head injury.

Judge Michael Gaffey previously said all evidence shown to jurors throughout the trial would be released at its conclusion, but as proceedings stretched into its second week, Gaffey signed off on allowing certain materials shown in court be released on Wednesday.

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Majors, 34, was arrested on March 25 for allegedly attacking his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari after she grabbed his phone when she saw Majors receive a romantic text from another woman. He is accused of twisting Jabbari’s arm behind her back, squeezing her fingers and striking her in the back of her head, before shoving her back into the car when she tried to follow him out.

Majors — who has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to the charges — faces up to a year in jail if convicted on four misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment. His defense team has claimed that Jabbari was the aggressor that night and made “false accusations” in an act of “revenge.”

Now, prosecutors have released surveillance video that shows some of Majors’ and Jabbari’s fight in the car. (There is no footage from inside the car because the video camera was not working at the time.) Majors is seen exiting the car and Jabbari tries to follow him. Majors is shown picking Jabbari up and repeatedly pushing her back inside. Majors then is seen holding Jabbari by the arm and swiftly leading her across the street, before dropping her arm and running off.

Further video shows Jabbari running after Majors until she finds a group of strangers, panickingly telling them about Majors cheating on her and not having her phone or purse in order to get home. Majors is then seen striding past Jabbari and the group before Jabbari follows him. They are seen getting in and exiting the car several more times, before Majors leaves to go to a hotel and Jabbari leaves with the strangers.

Included in the evidence were photos Jabbari took of her injuries, which shows Jabbari’s bruised and red-looking middle finger and a bloody cut behind her ear. Photos taken by police show the finger looking purple and more photos of the gash behind her ear.

Prosecutors have been presenting their case with several witnesses, including Jabbari. The 30-year-old professional dancer and movement coach, who testified for four days, spoke of the couple’s alleged tumultuous relationship after meeting on the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2021. Jabbari said things progressed quickly, with Majors professing his love for her early on and writing her poetry. “I felt very loved and cared for, and very seen,” she said. “I understood him and he understood me.” By that December, however, Jabbari said she had grown scared of Majors, detailing several instances where Majors would allegedly fly into a “rage” and would throw blunt and glass objects near her.

Prosecutors showed photos of an aftermath of a fight in July 2022 in Los Angeles. Majors was preparing for a bodybuilding role in Magazine Dreams — which has since been shelved — when the actor allegedly became furious with Jabbari. “He exploded,” Jabbari said, claiming Majors shouted in her face as she subsequently tried to hide from him in the bedroom. Majors allegedly threw glass objects in close proximity to Jabbari, leaving glass shattered around the floor.

The photo shows objects and candles strewn around the floor alongside shattered glass. What appears to be a Bible sits on a table nearby. Jabbari said she took the photo of the damage because “the shift in his temper was something I was aware of. I know I kept forgiving him, and I wanted to make a memory of [the incident].”

While filming for the Disney+ show Loki in London in September 2022, Jabbari testified that Majors became upset with her because she had a friend over and they went to a nearby pub for drinks, returning home around the same time as Majors and his trainer. Jabbari claimed she noticed Majors’ mood shift as the group was ordering dinner, and ushered her friend and the trainer from their home. The next day, she claims that Majors yanked headphones out of her ears and said she was “stupid” if she didn’t know what she had done. Later, Jabbari claimed Majors said he wanted her out of their home, and allegedly began throwing objects around the room, stuffing her personal belongings into bags and putting some items into the trash.

The couple later made up, Jabbari testified, but Majors allegedly became upset that she didn’t take full blame for the fight. In a voice recording, Majors is heard raising his voice and chastising Jabbari, saying he was a “great man” and needed a “great woman.” “How dare you come home drunk and disturb the peace of our house when we have a plan,” Majors is heard saying as Jabbari apologizes and says she shouldn’t have gone out. “I would like to get to the point where your friends know what job I’m on and go, ‘I think Grace is going to be out of commission.’ Do you understand that?”

“Grace has to be in a certain mindset, to support — Coretta Scott King, do you know who that is? That’s Martin Luther King’s wife. Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife,” Majors continues. “Let me just lay it out for you. I’m just gonna say this — my temper, my shit, my [indiscernible] blah blah blah — all that said, I’m a great man. A great man. I am doing great things, not just for me but for my culture and for the world. That is actually the position I’m in. That’s real. I’m not being a dick about it. I didn’t ask for it. I’ve worked and that’s the situation. The woman that supports me — that I support — needs to be a great woman and make sacrifices the way that man is making for her and for them ultimately. Last night, two nights ago, you did not do that. You did not do that, which took away from the plan. And the plan is everything.”

That same month, Majors pleaded with Jabbari not to go to the hospital for a head injury, according to a series of texts shown in court. Portions of the conversation are redacted and it is not clear what led to Jabbari wanting to go to the hospital. (According to an evidence list prosecutors noted in an October court filing, the DA said it had obtained a “police report,” “voice recordings,” photos and texts containing references to “punching,” “physical pain,” and “medical treatment,” all from September 2022. Last month, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed to Rolling Stone that there is an ongoing investigation into a September 2022 incident that included allegations of “physical assaults.”)

“It’s just fake,” Majors wrote in the messages. “And you have, I fear, you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital. They will ask you questions and as I don’t think you actually protect us it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie and they suspect something.” Jabbari’s response is partially redacted, but she responds, “I will tell the doctor I bumped my head, if I go, I’m going to give it one more day, but I can’t sleep and I need some stronger painkillers. That’s all. Why would I want to tell them what really happened when it’s clear I want to be with you.”

“I feel like you want to be together as in to not embarrass yourself for everything you’ve said to your friends and family,” Majors responded. “Last night I considered killing myself versus coming home. You said you need love last night and I put my feelings aside and tried to give you that. I NEED love yoo. Or maybe I’m such a monster and horrible man that I don’t deserve it and should just kill myself. This way of existence is miserable. I want to die.”

Further conversation between the couple is redacted but Jabbari responds at another point, “I will not go to the doctor if you don’t feel safe with me doing so, or don’t trust me to. I promise I would never mention you but I understand your fear.”

Majors’ trial is now in its second week. It is not clear if Majors will take the stand and testify. Majors’ defense attorney Priya Chaudhry has claimed that Jabbari was the aggressor the night of the fight, pointing to Majors’ coat having missing buttons and photos Majors took of scratches on his arm. In June, he filed a counter police report against Jabbari. (The DA’s office declined to press charges and sealed the case.) In cross-examination, Chaudhry questioned Jabbari about her drinking habits and if she was aware Majors was a devout Christian, wrote poetry, and often carried around a Bible.

Before his March arrest, Majors was on track to have his biggest year yet, following the releases Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He was also receiving early Oscar buzz for his performance as a lonely bodybuilder with violent fantasies in Magazine Dreams. However, Majors was quickly dropped by both his management and publicist teams in the wake of the accusations, and Searchlight Pictures indefinitely postponed Magazine Dreams’ December theatrical release. All that seems to be left on Majors’ calling card is Marvel, who was planning on centering the next edition of the franchise on Majors’ character, the multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror, starting with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026.

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