Jonathan Majors Says He Was Only Trying To Display His “Utmost Respect” For Coretta Scott King Following Backlash

Embattled actor Jonathan Majors is standing by his usage of Coretta Scott King’s name to define his ideal woman. 

If you recall, Majors referred to girlfriend Meagan Good as his “Coretta” during his heavily discussed ABC interview. He praised the actress for holding him down during his domestic violence trial and standing beside him the same way the activist did for her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. The ex-Marvel star followed up with TMZ on Wednesday, explaining that he meant no harm. 

“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,” Majors told the outlet, adding Mrs. King “is a great woman, a very important figure in American and world history, and someone both Meagan and I are inspired by and deeply admire.”

Following Majors’ first interview since his conviction for assaulting Grace Jabbari, Coretta and Dr. King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice King, called out Majors on Twitter for seemingly diminishing her mother to nothing more than a wife. 

“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,” Bernice wrote, including a link to an article she’d written about Coretta. 

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

His television appearance was not the first time Majors leaned into his need for his own personal Coretta. During his trial, the prosecutors presented audio recorded by Jabbari, where Majors instructed her to be more like the leader during their relationship.

Even though Majors claims he meant to honor Mrs. King, hopefully, he will refrain from using her name for any further analogies.