Jonathan Majors‘ perceived use of women as an accessory to his life and public persona has opened the floodgates of criticism toward him.
The actor is in the midst of a storm of backlash for repeated remarks about wanting a woman like Coretta Scott King to be his pillar of support and representation of the man he views himself as.
The late activist’s daughter, Bernice King, however, is not taking the comments about her mother lightly. In his first interview since being charged, indicted, and then found guilty of assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, Majors stated that his new love interest epitomizes the regality of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife.
The “Creed III” antagonist began dating actress Meagan Good in May and were spotted hand in hand throughout Majors’ court hearings and trial last month. Good was also present for his sit-down with “Good Morning America” on Jan. 9.
Speaking about the actress’ presence in his life over the past troubled months, the “Lovecraft Country” star stated, “She’s an angel, she’s held me down … like a Coretta, you know? I’m so blessed to have her. The relationship is still fresh, but you know, I think I’ve found her.”
Majors’ fixation with the late civil rights activist came to light during his trial when an argument recorded by Jabbari revealed he wanted the white woman to conduct herself like Coretta or Michelle Obama because she was with a “great man … doing great things, not just for me, but for my, for my culture and for the world.”
My mother wasn’t a prop.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 9, 2024
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.
Here’s what I wrote about her a few years ago: https://t.co/qdCj7K5vXD#CorettaScottKing pic.twitter.com/8vhKBFm6oJ
Despite explaining in his interview that he was “trying to give an analogy of what it is I’m aspiring to be. You know, these great men, Martin and President Obama, in trying to give a reference point,” his comments have been deemed egregious and led to an overflow of jokes, memes, and critical posts regarding his preoccupation with Coretta.
“Jonathan Majors is out here sounding like a delusional Oswald Bates using Coretta Scott King’s name out of context.. This should actually let the Black community know that he is not studied, not authentic – and haven’t cultivated anything in the Black community,” wrote an X user condemning the celebrity’s utterance of Coretta’s name.
Bernice seemed to address the trending topic on X. “My mother wasn’t a prop. She was a peace advocate before she met my father and was instrumental in him speaking out against the Vietnam War,” began her tweet.
It continued, “Please understand…my mama was a force” before linking to a passage she wrote about her family’s matriarch being an agent for diplomacy and social change outside of the shadow of Dr. King.
Majors is set to be sentenced for his crimes on Feb. 6. His legal team has already expressed plans to appeal the conviction.
