Jonathan Majors' ex Grace Jabbari testifies on actor's 'violent temper': 'I had to be perfect'

Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend opened up in court about her turbulent relationship with the actor in the months leading up to his domestic violence arrest.

Grace Jabbari, a British dancer and movement coach, took to the stand Tuesday on the second day of Majors' trial for hours of tearful testimony against her former boyfriend. Majors faces five misdemeanor charges following his March arrest for the alleged assault of Jabbari, including three for assault and two for harassment.

In her testimony, Jabbari described Majors as a controlling, manipulative partner who hurled household objects at the wall, tried to control her socially and repeatedly threatened to take his own life in the aftermath of their fights.

"It felt like I was walking around on eggshells," Jabbari said. "I had to be perfect."

Majors avoided eye contact with Jabbari during the morning testimony, instead scribbling notes to his lawyer or thumbing through his gold-leafed Bible as she recounted his struggle to contain his "violent temper."

Before his arrest, Majors was a rising star in Hollywood. The actor was set to anchor the next phase of the Marvel cinematic universe with his portrayal of the comic book supervillain Kang the Conqueror. He also starred in the Sundance-award-winning drama "Magazine Dreams," which was pulled from its original December release.

Jabbari alleged that Majors first became "full of rage and aggression" during the filming of "Magazine Dreams" in July 2022. She said Majors, who was struggling with a strict dieting regimen and grueling training schedule for his body-builder character, threw objects during an argument in their West Hollywood home. Photos shared with the jury show the inside of the house where the walls were dented by candlesticks and bits of broken glass littered the floor.

Majors' ex also claims the "Creed III" actor lost his temper while filming in England a few months later after Jabbari came home from a bar "tipsy" with a friend.

In a recording played for the court, Majors can be heard berating Jabbari for straying from "the plan," explaining that she should model her behavior after the supportive partners of other famous men, like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama. "I'm a great man. A great man!" Majors said. "There needs to be a great woman who makes sacrifices."

Jabbari said Majors threatened suicide on several occasions, begging her not to tell anyone about his outbursts. She said she "feared him physically quite a lot," though she did not disclose any instances of domestic violence before the March 25 assault in her testimony.

"He said he was a monster," Jabbari said. "He wanted to kill himself, and he put actions in place to do so."

Why were Jonathan Majors, Grace Jabbari arrested?

Majors' March arrest came after officers responded to a 911 call from a Manhattan apartment, where a woman told them she was "assaulted" by him. "The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition," according to the New York Police Department.

A judge on March 25 granted a limited order of protection, preventing Majors and the woman from assaulting or harassing each other, and released Majors on his own recognizance.

In October, Jabbari was charged with suspicion of misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter. She was released soon after on a desk appearance ticket, which is a notice to appear in court at a later date. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Jabbari’s case due to a lack of "prosecutorial merit," the DA's office said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"It is unfortunate and re-traumatizing when a survivor of intimate partner violence is forced to endure an arrest," Jabbari’s attorney told USA TODAY at the time. "But Ms. Jabbari is an extremely strong and resilient person who is determined to move forward."

Jonathan Majors assault trial opening statements

On Monday, the opening statements in the trial against Majors centered on whether the actor assaulted Jabbari after she snatched his phone while they were in the backseat of a car to read a romantic text message sent by another woman.

Prosecutors said Majors grabbed the woman's hand so hard he fractured her middle finger, then twisted her arm behind her back and struck her on the side of the head – the latest outburst in an alleged pattern of physical and emotional abuse. An attorney for Majors argued that her client was the true victim, claiming he was left bloodied by the attack, while Jabbari spent the rest of the night clubbing.

Attorneys for Majors have said that Jabbari was the aggressor in the situation. One of his defense attorneys, Priya Chaudhry, described Jabbari as a spurned lover who was seeking "to ruin Jonathan Majors and take away everything he has spent his whole life working for."

Jonathan Majors' trial begins:Actor charged with assault of ex Grace Jabbari

More on the trial:Jonathan Majors' assault trial starts with competing versions of a backseat confrontation

Contributing: Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press; Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY