LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Jonathan Majors is facing significant online criticism for allegedly orchestrating a video in which he intervenes in a scuffle between two high-school girls near a Hollywood In-N-Out Burger.
Many online users are accusing the Marvel star of staging this heroic act as a publicity stunt, suggesting it was intended to divert attention from his ongoing domestic violence case in Manhattan.
What did Jonathan Majors' attorney say?
Contrary to these claims, his attorney responded on Friday 15 September, just before the actor's latest court appearance for the misdemeanor case, dismissing them as baseless.
"Suggesting that the video of Mr. Majors breaking up the fight is staged is absurd," the lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, told Insider.
"One of the girls at the school has come out today and confirmed it was real," she added
Both TMZ's footage and a recently surfaced video, captured from a different angle, depict Jonathan Majors rushing toward two young women who were engaged in a physical altercation on the sidewalk outside Hollywood High School on Monday.
It was confirmed by Chaudhry that Majors had been on the opposite side of the street, where he had been picking up takeout for his girlfriend, actress Meagan Good.
In these videos, other students can be observed merely observing the situation, with some choosing to film it, but none of them taking any action to intervene.
However, Majors intervened by physically separating the two young women and reassuring them with the words, "No, no, no, it's OK," even as they repeatedly attempted to bypass him and resume their fight.
"It was a school fight, that's all," the actor brushed it all off to a TMZ reporter who caught up with him afterward.
Internet trolls Jonathan Majors
Memes have been rampant all week, including a hilarious impersonation of Majors on Friday, where he rehearses his fight-breakup lines before turning to the cameras and asking, "Did y'all get that?"
A Twitter user wrote "Jonathan Majors heading out to save the youth"
Another user posted "From the Jonathan Majors Collection"
"“Sisters! Sisters please! We should never resort to physical violence!” *looks directly at camera* “I, Jonathan Majors, would NEVER lay a hand on a fellow human being, let alone a woman!” *mouths “That good?” to someone off screen" a user commented
"Jonathan Majors in 4th grade" a user tweeted
Jonathan Majors' attorney faces questions from journalists
Jonathan Majors' attorney revealed that she has received numerous inquiries from journalists questioning whether the 'Lovecraft Country' star staged his involvement in the altercation between the young women.
Majors' lawyer said she has fielded "a lot" of calls from reporters asking if the 'Lovecraft Country' star had staged his intervention in the young women's fight.
She expressed her hope that the public would allocate less time to viewing and sharing the videos of the fight intervention and instead focus on video evidence that she believes exonerates her client in his domestic violence case.
This particular video, obtained from a sidewalk surveillance camera, was submitted as evidence in a defense motion filed on Wednesday.
It captures Jonathan Majors' accuser, choreographer, and then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, shortly after she claimed that he had injured her right ear and broken her right middle finger during a street brawl in Chinatown in March.
Notably, the video, recorded eight minutes after Jabbari reported these injuries to prosecutors, does not reveal any signs of the ear and finger injuries.
Additionally, on Friday, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey, who is now presiding over the case, established a procedural timeline for the defense motion seeking the dismissal of the case.
Prosecutors have until October 6 to provide their response, and the defense must reply to their response by October 13. The judge is scheduled to make a decision regarding the motion at Jonathan Majors' next court appearance, which is slated for October 25.
The arrangement for the motion schedule was determined following a 45-minute closed-door court session, during which the media was not allowed entry.
Although no explanation was provided for sealing the courtroom, courtrooms are typically sealed when sensitive information related to a crime victim, referred to as the "complainant," is discussed.
It's worth noting that neither lawyers representing Grace Jabbari nor a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have commented on the video, which was handed over to the defense in the previous month.
