Jonathan Majors recording calling himself “a great man” and other evidence unsealed amid trial
Prosecution rested its case against Jonathan Majors on Wednesday in trial regarding alleged domestic abuse
Aux News Jonathan Majors
The prosecution rested its case against Jonathan Majors on Wednesday, and Judge Michael Gaffey approved the release of evidence that had previously been shared with the jury. That included surveillance and body cam footage in connection to the March 25 incident which led to Majors being charged with assault and aggravated harassment, as well as text messages and audio of other exchanges between Majors and his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Those exchanges were unsealed after Judge Gaffey ruled that the defense had opened the door to it with their cross-examination of Jabbari, per Deadline.
Jabbari’s secretly recorded audio of Majors lecturing her after she had brought a friend home from the pub was played for the jury last week. “How dare you come home drunk and disturb the peace of our house when we have a plan. … 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 commision.’ … Do you understand that?” The actor rants in the recording (via Rolling Stone). “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.”
“Let me just lay it out for you. I’m just gonna say this—my temper, my shit, my [trauma], 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,” he goes on to say. “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.”
Video evidence shows the aftermath of the car altercation that led to Majors’ arrest. Though there is no video of what occurred inside the car (the details of which are disputed between the prosecution and defense), video shows Majors trying to put Jabbari back in the car before the couple crosses to the sidewalk and Majors runs away from her. Included in the video evidence is body cam footage of police discovering Jabbari unconscious on the floor of the couple’s walk-in closet.
On the 911 call, which was also released, Majors told law enforcement that he thought the incident was a suicide attempt. (Jabbari testified that she’d taken two sleeping pills and was dealing with the pain of her injuries; NYPD officers who testified on Tuesday said they found no drugs or pill bottles at the scene that would indicate attempted suicide or overdose, per Variety.) “She’s my ex-partner. We broke up. I came back. She sent me text messages insinuating as much. I stayed in a hotel last night. I came home this morning,” Majors said on the phone (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I banged on the door. I’ve been at the apartment for about 20 minutes now. I banged on the door. I couldn’t get in. I finally went downstairs and asked the doorman to help us. And they let me in via the handyman.”
Also amongst the evidence were photos Jabbari took of her injuries from March 25 as well as images of the alleged aftermath of one of Majors’ previous rages, in which he’d apparently thrown items and broken things. Text message exchanges in which Majors discouraged Jabbari from going to a doctor in a previous incident and threatened suicide himself were also released. The trial continues as the defense makes its case; it is yet unclear if Majors will take the stand to testify.
69 Comments
The plan:
ahaha hilarious
Aw yeah I am not looking forward to the defense’s turn. I hope he didn’t pay publicists money to memefy the defendant so I’m not seeing memes on Facebook comparing her to Thanos like Amber Heard.
If the defense is smart, they’ll just accept a lot of the evidence that Majors is a controlling weirdo with a very high opinion of himself. That’s just the hand they’ve been dealt at this point. And that means the jury’s likely to at least think that assaulting Jabbari is not something that’s consistent with Majors’ personality. He’s not too good to have committed this crime.The video outside the car is a strong point for the defense. Jabbari chases Majors for several blocks after the alleged assault occurs. That evidence is consistent with what Majors’ story is going to be — an unhinged girlfriend, horrified at the possibility that her relationship with Majors was ending, began attacking him, got injured through his efforts to defend himself, and then refused to leave him alone even after he literally ran away from her.I don’t think Jabbari’s actions are wholly inconsistent with those of someone who was assaulted. People behave in paradoxical ways sometimes when they’re assaulted by loved ones. But the prosecution better be able to present that explanation convincingly.
“If the defense is smart, they’ll just accept a lot of the evidence that Majors is a controlling weirdo with a very high opinion of himself.”I’m not sure that’s a great idea? Especially if there are women on the jury. We know that controlling weirdos turn into physically abusive weirdos. It would just make him look more likely to commit the crime. I think what they’ll do is say she manipulated the context and since she secretly recorded him she provoked him into saying stuff like that.
I think Majors will likely get some help from the judge, who will probably instruct the jury that, to find Majors guilty, they cannot rely on the general idea that he had a propensity to do this. Also, it’s the government that has to win over every juror. Majors has to win over any juror.The strong point for Majors is that there doesn’t seem to be great evidence of what happened inside the car. (The government has the burden of proof, so uncertainty is his friend.) The evidence of what happened outside the car is not bad for him — he’s clearly trying to get away from Jabbari, who won’t leave him alone.
That video seems like a slam dunk to me. Even the driver stated she was the aggressor.
That’s actually footage of how Kevin Feige feels every time another one of these stories comes out.
That’s a lie! That image doesn’t contain a baseball hat
That is the exact image I imagine when I hear the words “Great Man”
Right up there with the likes of George Washington and ‘ol Teddy Roosevelt.
JFC….not sure you understand what “great” means, Twatwaffle.
“……. I’M A FIVE STAR MAN!!”
Dennis really is a 5 star man! 🙂
When he peaks everybody’s gonna feel it
It’s a Grand Theft Auto reference. He’s warning us that we need to call in the FBI.
I too am a great man. Just this morning, I remembered to feed the dog, start the coffee machine for my wife before going to work and took a massive dump that required only a single wipe.Jonathan Majors is not the only one around here doing great things!
those single wipe ones always feel a little like your body is tricking you. ‘why can’t you do this every time?’
I mean, I know why and it’s beer.
You might be eating too much meat.
Would you like to be Kang the Conqueror?
took a massive dump Majors looks like he’s doing that in every single pic he’s in. Ya wanna control ya women, Jonny? How about you learn to control your bowels instead?
One wipe? a truly great man can pinch one off with no need to wipe!
Just the confidence alone required to attempt that feat is impressive.
And yet, where’s your fucking Nobel Prize? Given to some asshole chemist, probably.
Thank you! That’s exactly what I’ve been telling all the pigeons and statues in the park for years!
Everything I have seen so far indicates he is controlling and emotionally abusive at the least. His language in that audio gives me abusive “high quality man” vibes.
Up until now the evidence hasn’t been very damning at all, were so used to actors all being scumbags obviously it wasn’t a stretch, but the case of the defense was pretty strong. This is the first bit that definitely paints him in a bad light haha. I mean sure, I get where he’s coming from outside the ego, he is a huge figure and had a lot of weight on his shoulders..not sure about King or Obama level haha..but that’s 100% grade A douche right there. I think they both were being crappy partners, but this isn’t a smoking gun that negates the witness account in the car and the video that shows him disengaging from her, and she wasn’t injured yet. And then he arrived back to the place, and now she’s injured, they’ve yet to demonstrate he caused it. Obviously I have no stake here haha, if he’s an abuser screw him and I’m glad he lost work.
The text messages I saw indicated he injured her and didnt want her to go to the doctor. That is very telling.
For me, that was the thing that changed my mind.Being a delusional idiot who rants isn’t a crime. Defending yourself against a woman isn’t a crime. Calling the ambulance on your drunk and high girlfriend who topped it off with sleeping pills, definitely isn’t a crime.When I read about asking her not to go to the hospital though, that was it. He had better have a pretty good explanation
Reading it is enough I think. I don’t think I have it in me right now to listen to it.
Yikes. Yeah, that doesn’t sound good. I’m not even sure that this one is actually even evidence of abuse. Just kind of evidence that he’s a pretentious, deeply conceited, micro-managing boyfriend. Still, though, this sounds like a miserable relationship even before you get to the abuse. She is well rid of this dude. Life is too short to cater to the impossible standards of unreasonable people. The actual abuse makes it utterly intolerable. Ooph, what a mess.
Agreed, I’m not sure this is pertinent evidence at all, but you know how lawyers can twist things.
It also really backs up a lot of the claims that were made about him by other people who talked about his toxic personality but without specific claims of physical abuse.
“Just kind of evidence that he’s a pretentious, deeply conceited, micro-managing boyfriend.”It’s evidence that he’s enormously controlling and thinks of his partner as someone who exists to serve his needs. That’s a recipe for physical abuse eventually. It’s not evidence of abuse itself, but it’s evidence that he’s the kind of person who would abuse.
I see that you guys are setting up the “both are bad” defense for when she loses.
Why didn’t you put the videos up?
Weird take, bro.
Right? Him being, I guess, weird at the worst in this call is the big smoking gun they have on him?
Interesting they didn’t mention that the CAB DRIVER testified that she was the aggressor. There is no information in this article. Just more ideologically driven drivel to stir up the masses in this awful comments section.
God I miss the old AV Club.
Him being, I guess, weird at the worstThe fuck goes through your head that the shit that’s been submitted as evidence and testified in court, under penalty of perjury, is “weird at the worst” to you? He’s an abusive asshole and a generally unlikable person. I don’t believe he deserves to go to jail for being an unlikable asshole, and if I was sitting on the jury, I probably wouldn’t convict him. But that shit’s way worse than weird.
WHO is he again??
HE’s Huge McDuckface
BIG MCLARGEHUGE!
Smoke ManMuscle!
The guy from Lovecraft Country who didn’t die from a tragic OD.
And whose brother didn’t fake a racist attack.
Well, I now have some idea who the orange fascist’s running mate will be.
It feels so weird listening to people’s private stuff, but we love movies so that we can play the voyeur, so…. Somewhat relieved he wasn’t screaming. He’s feeling all chuffed up, his egotism is hurting others, but he wasn’t out-of-control screaming and throwing people around the room but maybe that’s only because another witness was there (right?). There are plenty of men who think this way and speak it too. It isn’t a crime to think you’re all that and a piece of cheese. Laying hands and bullying someone to the point they want to disappear is, though. It’s true that he’s representing the culture. Most whites don’t have to constantly worry about their every gesture being scrutinized. That kind of pressue alone f*cks with a person’s mind. Comparing himself to truly great figures, though? I hope she gets the justice she deserves. I can’t guess if he’ll be accepted back into the fold the way Depp was. I wonder if this will create a kind of ‘gender war’ side-taking the way that trial did.
“I can’t guess if he’ll be accepted back into the fold the way Depp was.”He won’t. 1) He’s Black. 2) He hasn’t been as longtime beloved as Johnny Depp had been. 3) His girlfriend isn’t a famous figure, so there’s not a lot of “fun” involved in villainizing her, so it’s all landing on him (deservedly, of course).
even aside from all that, has depp even been in an american movie in the last 5 years?
Well his trial only ended last year, right? (Right? Time has no meaning for me anymore.) So he hasn’t had a lot of time to do a bunch of stuff, but he is heavy on the cologne commercials, which I don’t see happening for Majors.
yeah, depp has the dior money still, but i don’t exactly look to hundred year old french fashion houses for progressive values. but yeah fair enough! we could see mordecai: requiem get announced any day.
I don’t even think it’s about progressive values as such. Neither he nor Heard came out of that trial looking great, but I do think that in the public eye he was more or less vindicated as not being an “abuser” and rather being one half of a volatile partnership. I don’t see that bearing the same stink as what’s happening with Majors. Depp’s case has enough of a fig leaf for him to get back to work. In 10 years the trial will have been forgotten.
I think the real test will be when we see who gets the next Pirates movie.
Well his trial only ended last year, right? (Right? Time has no meaning for me anymore.) So he hasn’t had a lot of time to do a bunch of stuff, but he is heavy on the cologne commercials, which I don’t see happening for Majors.
Has Johnny Depp been accepted back into the fold? I mean, according to IMDB, his upcoming slate of projects (one) doesn’t look all that impressive. From my vantage point of that trial, they both looked like complete assholes not worth anyone’s time.
He did Jeanne du Barry which, I’m guessing, flopped. I’m reading that he’s lined up for some other movies. He’s playing in his ‘band’. Just generally, he’s working and still enjoying a lot of fan appreciation. I doubt if he’ll be doing any stellar work but then he was obviously not doing so great before. Seemed to me he was already wearing out his casting welcome. He is still welcomed in social circles. I’d consider that a ‘win’, especially since so few people appear to have any sympathy for Heard.
Personally, I can’t stand the sight of him. Heard? I’d never seen enough of her work to care. They’re both obviously egotists who allowed that to affect the rest of their lives. You’d think celebrities would just focus on their professional lives and keep their romances as far from the public eye as possible, but no.
Depp was the one who wanted the trial televised and dragged everything about their relationship into the public eye.
Of course he did. He’s a narcissist who needs attention even if it’s negative (which he probably doesn’t think of it as). Don’t have any films in production? Wage a gender battle in public when overall sympathy for women is the lowest in 40 years.
She’s too stupid to understand what you mean.
You’re not impressed that it’s the third time in four years he’s voicing Johnny Puff, an animated puffin character in movies starring no one else I’ve ever heard of?
Lol, nice!
This all sounds horrible. It also sounds like a shit ton of relationships I’ve seen people in over my lifetime.The effort it takes to be the kind of Level-10 dickhead Major’s is being just… I don’t get it. Your life would be so much easier and involve far fewer court cases and career-destroying incidents if you just wouldn’t be a fucking awful person.I see this shit every fucking day.
He’s not curing cancer he’s playing pretend. I get that there’s a lot of pressure when you’re starring in an expensive project, but if you can’t cope with a relationship because of work pressure? Don’t have a relationship. This asshole comparing himself to MLK and Obama! Michelle Obama BTW not just someone’s wife, solid lawyer herself.What an absolute jackass.
“I am a BIG DEAL in the competitive world of make-believe!”
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
It’s becoming increasingly clear why he was so good at playing a violent monomaniac with an imprisoned wife, I guess.
He seems nice.
no matter what happens in court this is clearly not someone that should be on a filmset, recast him disney.
The world is clearly a better place since Quantumania. Thanks Jonathan