Jonathan Majors’ Comeback Gets Messier With Controversial Daily Wire Film

BY Erika Marie
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"Devotion" star Jonathan Majors poses for a portrait at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Va., during the Virginia
"Devotion" star Jonathan Majors poses for a portrait at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Va., during the Virginia Film Festival. Xxx Jm Jonathanmajors 110422 004 Jpg E Ent Usa Va USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A provocative Daily Wire project has Jonathan Majors back in the spotlight as he continues rebuilding after his assault conviction.

A Hollywood comeback built around one of conservative media’s most aggressive culture-war fantasies is putting Jonathan Majors back under scrutiny. The actor stars in Run Hide Fight: Infidels, an upcoming Daily Wire action film that arrives as Majors continues trying to rebuild a career derailed by his 2023 assault conviction.

The newly released trailer via Deadline makes little attempt to soften the movie’s politics. Infidels imagines radical Islamic terrorists taking control of a pro-Palestinian encampment at a liberal college, where they attempt to impose Sharia law and execute those who refuse to submit. Majors plays a Delta Force veteran who joins students and a Black security guard in fighting back. The film is produced by Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro and Dallas Sonnier.

Majors Is Trying To Move Forward

That premise has made Majors’ choice of comeback vehicle part of the conversation. A recent Los Angeles Times guest column from Muslim Public Affairs Council executive Sue Obeidi and Define American founder Jose Antonio Vargas described the film as “xenophobic and Islamophobic.” They argued that it recycles fears about Muslims imposing Sharia law in America for a modern culture-war audience. Daily Wire’s own promotional campaign has also leaned directly into those anxieties. Its teaser reportedly incorporated 9/11 footage and an ISIS flag flying over a college before asking viewers whether the threat depicted in the film is “already here.”

Moreover, the criticism carries additional weight because Majors is not simply taking another acting job after a quiet stretch away from the screen. His standing in Hollywood changed dramatically after a Manhattan jury convicted him in December 2023 of misdemeanor assault and harassment against his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Marvel Studios dropped him immediately, ending plans that had positioned his Kang the Conqueror as a major figure across its cinematic universe. Meanwhile, Majors avoided jail and was later sentenced to a 52-week batterer’s intervention program. He was also ordered to continue mental health counseling. He has maintained that he did not intentionally harm Jabbari.

For an actor once moving between Creed III and potential Marvel blockbusters, working with Daily Wire represents a conspicuous turn away from the Hollywood institutions that stopped hiring him after his conviction. Whether that partnership creates another lane for Majors remains to be seen. What is already clear is that Run Hide Fight: Infidels will not allow his return to happen quietly.

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming the Co-Head of Original Content. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, and Amy Luciani—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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