“A 4D chess move by Disney to rehire him?” Disney is being criticized for greenlighting the cozy Jonathan Majors session on ABC News (which it owns) – four weeks after firing him for hitting his ex-girlfriend
Disney is accused of cynically holding on to its investment in Jonathan Majors by arranging a career-saving interview for the disgraced Marvel star after his conviction for beating up his girlfriend.
The actor who plays Kang the Conqueror in the multibillion-dollar franchise gets a scoop on Disney's GMA on Monday for an interview with ABC News anchor Linsey Davis, just weeks after the studio claimed it would no longer work with him.
And extended versions of the interview will also air on GMA3 and ABC News' Prime, with ABC's Nightline airing more unaired segments on Disney-owned Hulu three days later.
The move has left industry observers shocked at the cynicism of a company that generated nearly $90 billion in revenue last year.
“Disney owns this news channel so they basically fired him because he was found guilty but now they're giving him a platform so they can gauge public opinion about him,” @isthatscully tweeted.
The Marvel star appears to wipe away tears in a trailer for Monday's GMA interview on ABC
“Do you think you'll ever work in Hollywood again?” ABC News anchor Linsey Davis asks him
Majors was found guilty last month of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari (pictured together in September 2022), casting doubt on his promising Hollywood career
“If he does well enough, he'll probably be rehired. Very black mirror.'
“Why would Disney set up an interview with Jonathan Majors if they had no interest in bringing him back, and why would majors take that interview if there wasn't a huge upside to it,” @tydriscoll added.
“To me, this proves that Disney plans to rehire him.”
Majors was set up to be the center of the next chapter in the superhero universe, but his future in Hollywood remained in limbo after his conviction.
The 34-year-old faces possible jail time at his sentencing next month after being found guilty on December 18 of one charge of intimidation and one of assault against his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, 30.
“Magazine Dreams,” his film about a troubled bodybuilder tipped for an Oscar, was shelved, and in a trailer for the GMA interview he says the aftermath of his high-profile trial “has been difficult.”
“Why did you decide you wanted to talk now?” Davis asks him.
“Do you think you'll ever work in Hollywood again?”
His conviction stemmed from a March 2023 incident with Jabbari in midtown Manhattan, when the two broke out in an angry argument after she saw a flirtatious text message from another woman on his phone.
The video, which was shown to the court in December, shows Jabbari and Majors scuffling in the street
Majors was set to lead the next chapter of the Marvel Universe as 'Kang the Conqueror', but he was dropped by Marvel after his arrest
Majors was acquitted of assault with intent to cause bodily harm
Jabbari testified that she was in “excruciating” pain after the movie star hit her in the head during the fight and broke her finger in the back of an SUV.
Surveillance footage also showed the two continuing the scuffle into the streets of Manhattan, where Jabbari chased Majors before continuing to push and shove.
During his trial, jurors were presented with a raft of damning evidence, including an audio recording of Majors berating Jabbari during a speech for not living up to the standards of Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's wife.
California-born Majors, 34, graduated from Yale with a master's degree in acting, and he rose to fame after starring in the 2019 independent feature film The Last Black Man in San Francisco.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has invested billions of dollars in the Marvel franchise
He then appeared in HBO's Lovecraft Country and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, before starring as supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Universe and Dame Anderson in Creed III this year.
Jurors were instructed to consider conflicting accounts of whether Majors was the aggressor or the victim during the chaotic SUV battle with Jabbari in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood on March 25.
It took three days for them to reach a guilty verdict for assault causing reckless bodily harm, but they acquitted him of assault with intent to cause bodily harm.
The $30 billion grossed by the 33 Marvel films is unmatched in cinematic history, and the franchise's “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” starring Majors, got off to a strong start when it was released in February.
But it became one of the few to fail to make a profit amid a wave of bad publicity over Major's arrest the following month.
Some movie fans accused Disney of being too smart for its own good with its apparent offer of rehabilitation for Majors.
“Is the Jonathon Majors interview a setup or a 4D chess move by Disney to rehire him?” asked @WeBuildMechs.
In her testimony, Jabbari said she felt “excruciating” pain when Majors twisted her fingers to retrieve his phone after she took it from him.
Evidence shown to court shows Jabbari's swollen finger and marks on her neck
A cut behind Jabbari's ear was also shown to jurors during the successful trial
A photo taken after one of the couple's arguments in LA when he allegedly threw a candle at Jabbari, July 9, 2022
“They're promoting that Jonathan Majors interview with HARD on TikTok,” he added at TiphSeven, “Disney said we'll make back the media traffic somehow.”
“I count at least four news programs that Disney will use to make money with Jonathan Majors telling Disney how he feels about being fired by Disney,” wrote Jonas J Campbell.
“Disney has invested a lot in Jonathan Majors and it is in their interest to try to save that investment,” Dare Obasanjo said.
“The firing, subsequent interview and return of the prodigal son will echo James Gunn's return, if that's what fans want.”