In the interview seen around the world this week, Jonathan Majors – less than a month after the seismic industry backlash that followed him being found guilty for two of four misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment he faced in a domestic abuse case against ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari – sat down with ABC News to discuss life after the fallout.
Despite all he mentioned, one of the standout quotes came when he reflected on the support of his current girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, whom he likened to civil rights icon Coretta Scott King (wife of Dr. Martin Luther King).
Unlocking a firestorm of ridicule and criticism as a result, one of the biggest headline-grabbing responses came from the King family as daughter Bernice took to social media to indirectly call Majors out for using her mom’s name for clout.
Look inside to see what she said and how Jonathan responded.
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.
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
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 9, 2024
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday (January 9), Bernice King responded to the trending topic and memes of Jonathan comparing her mother to Meagan when he said “she’s held me down like a Coretta [and] I’m so blessed to have her.”
“My mother wasn’t a prop,” Bernice shared before later relaying, “Please understand…my mama was a force.”
On Wednesday (January 10), Majors attempted to clear up the confusion about his use of Coretta Scott’s name.
“My intention was to convey my utmost respect for Coretta Scott King, her achievements, and both her personal legacy and the one she shares with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King,” he told TMZ.
At writing, Bernice has not responded to Majors’ latest comment.
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People are only outraged because Jonathan was dating a white woman before Megan. Bernice shouldn’t even be talking, because she’s had her share of controversy when it comes to contradicting some of the things her mother stood for. How bout she spend some time getting money to fix up the King museum in Atlanta if she cares so much about her parents’ legacy? I went back to the museum this summer and it was a sad sight. A/C broken, deodorizer sprayed everywhere to cover up a foul odor, empty sections throughout the exhibit, and the water was drained for repairs at the tomb. Area looked deserted and forgotten.
People are also outraged because he’s a manipulative sociopathic idiot. Now all of a sudden he’s a Bible toting freedom fighter with a black woman on his arm. If his M.O. was to get back into the black communities good graces then he failed horribly.
None of that changes the fact that making the comparison between Megan and Corretta was ignorant and ridiculous. This man is obviously not too bright and seems to have a few loose screws to suggest that he in any way shape or form plays a role in society anything like a MLK or Barack Obama, and criticizing his former girlfriend for not being more like Coretta Scott King before placing that label on Megan. He definitely belittled Coretta Scott King’s role to strictly supporting/holding down her man and was completely oblivious of her individual accomplishments or he would have never made the comparison, King’s daughter was right on this and I’m glad she spoke up.
This‼️
Jonathan isn’t wrong to be thinking of MLK and Barack. It may be his desire to have a platform he can use one day to participate in creating change the same way Michael B. Jordan and other actors have used their celebrity. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
To hone in on the one comment Jonathan made and throw away the whole interview because of it suggests a level of animosity that goes beyond Coretta Scott King. Jonathan dating white women has to be the heart of the issue, because a lot of the words being spoken echo the same sentiment that follows black men like John Legend, Derek Luke, and Taye Diggs.
It’s not just the interview, it’s the way he criticized his ex for not being more like Michelle Obama or Coretta King and implied that he already had such status as Barrack or MLK and deserved such support. He has yet to even come close to showing any potential of reaching that level and has no business evoking those names while chastising someone. Face it, the dude is a quack.
I thought Bernice was dumb for that. When did he say Coretta was a prop, girl? You couldn’t understand what he was trying to say? Nobody dissed yo momma, girl. Go sit down.
I agree, nothing he said belittled her mom. If anything it was quite the opposite.
Mentioning Corettas name period was disingenuous and rather performative of him. His out of the blue PR relationship with Megan isn’t believable anyway.
All of this is crazy. Clearly, this black man did nothing wrong by saying he was great and expected his woman to be as special, loyal, committed and in partnership with him as Coretta Scott King and other great woman. We should all hold ourselves to such esteem.
Think about it, this man has been convicted for trying to get away and make someone leave him alone. If this isn’t sad, maddening, and without logic. We wouldn’t be hearing this if he or Grace was of another color. I personally am extremely tired of the blatant b.s. our media, justice system and people who have double standards for people of color, are expecting us to accept as truth. It saddens me further that so many black people have jumped on the bandwagon (as to always seem to happen) of helping to stick it to another without using common sense or what their eyes and ears are seeing and hearing daily. Smh