Viral video of Johnathan Majors standing up for a Black reporter at Sundance sparks discussion about red carpets and race
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- A video of actor Jonathan Majors standing up for a journalist at Sundance has gone viral online.
- In the video, a festival worker tried to cut off journalist Daric L. Cottingham during an interview.
- The situation has led to online discussions about how Black reporters are treated at press events.
A video of actor Jonathan Majors standing up for journalist Daric L. Cottingham during an interview has gone viral online, prompting discussions on social media about press and race.
The actor, 33, was on the Sundance Film Festival carpet for his film "Magazine Dreams." In a video posted on Twitter by Cottingham, Majors was interrupted while taking a question from Cottingham by a festival worker, who said there was "no more time" for questions.
In the video, Majors silently refused to move from the carpet, while his publicist, Carrie Gordon, asked the worker to let Cottingham ask their question. "Just give me two seconds — we're going to do this one interview," Gordon said.
Majors then turned to Cottingham and told them to ask their question.
—Daric L. Cottingham, M.A. (@DaricCott) January 21, 2023
The video went viral online, leading to Cottingham giving some context to the experience.
"We were already told there was a time crunch & a limit of 2 questions, perfect. Time got tighter so 1 question, cool. I began asking my question and this happened," they tweeted.
"I'm a professional & understand time constraints and can be flexible on the fly. You can do everything right and still deal with these things. This is the first time someone else advocated for me and it meant a lot," they added.
Cottingham later posted a video from the "Magazine Dreams" carpet that included their question about what age Majors was when he knew he wanted to pursue acting professionally.
—Daric L. Cottingham, M.A. (@DaricCott) January 21, 2023
Sundance did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comments.
In an email statement to Insider, Cottingham wrote that the response to their video has been "a bit overwhelming" though they've had viral moments before.
They were contacted by Sundance and said they were told that the worker's actions were "about time, and not racially motivated," but he was sent home Cottingham said that Sundance told them they take incidents like that seriously, and they believed the organization because they backed up their words with actions.
"When I posted it, my mindset was about the positive in the video because it's rare that you get that kind of advocacy as a Black journalist, but especially in entertainment reporting and on red carpets. Jonathan and his publicist were very kind to ensure I got at least one question answered," Cottingham continued.
Still, Cottingham noted their frustration with the situation. " I really enjoy my craft; it's all I've ever dreamed of doing, and I wish I could do my job without encounters like this. Because at the end of the day, even when it's not overt, my Blackness and queerness and how I show up in the world sadly affect what access and how I'm treated while simply trying to do my job," they wrote in their statement.
Cottingham's video sparked a necessary conversation online
Cottingham's experience led to multiple discussions online about how Black reporters are treated at press events.
Journalist Natasha S. Alford added to the conversation, tweeting that she had "Absolutely been there" and that "Black journalists often get overlooked and dismissed."
Others chimed in, tweeting that this experience is common, often leading to Black journalists being at the end of carpets with little time left to ask questions.
Valerie Complex, an associate editor at Deadline, replied to the video, writing that she had seen the situation on the carpet.
—valerie complex (@ValerieComplex) January 21, 2023