Army pulls recruitment ads narrated by actor Jonathan Majors after arrest
The U.S. Army has pulled recruiting ads featuring actor Jonathan Majors after he was arrested over the weekend on allegations of strangulation, assault and harassment of a woman.
The Army's Enterprise Marketing Office said in a statement the advertisements would be suspended while the investigation into the charges is pending.
"We are deeply concerned by the allegations surrounding his arrest," the statement read. "While Mr. Majors is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pause our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete."
Majors narrated and appeared in two ads for the Army called "Overcoming Obstacles” and “Pushing Tomorrow,” which were released earlier this month as part of a major recruitment campaign for the military branch spanning across television, print, digital billboards and social media platforms.
The new campaign, which brings back the classic "Be All You Can Be" slogan, is designed to boost the interest of younger Americans in the Army, which is struggling with a historic decline in recruitment.
Majors, 33, appeared at a campaign announcement event in early March with U.S. Army officials, where he talked about the recruitment ads and discussed his family's history with military service.
The U.S. Army said the ads featuring Majors were only one part of the campaign and it was "working quickly to reduce any impacts of this shift."
The star of the newly released films "Creed III" and "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” was arrested on Saturday morning after New York City police responded to a call at a Manhattan apartment.
A victim, described as a 30-year-old woman, alleged she was assaulted and strangled in a car. She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries to her head and neck.
Attorneys for Majors have denied the charges and said their client is "provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows" and blamed the incident on the woman having an emotional crisis.
The actor's attorneys have said there is evidence and witness testimony refuting the charges against Majors.
Majors was arraigned on Sunday and released on his own recognizance.