The Army pulled the plug on a new ad campaign featuring Jonathan Majors after the “Creed III” actor was arrested for domestic assault after an alleged attack on his girlfriend.
The “Lovecraft Country” star is featured as the narrator and main character in two commercials released by the Army at the start of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament in hopes of boosting sagging recruiting numbers.
The Army’s Enterprise Marketing Office, which led the new media campaign, said in a statement Sunday that the military branch was aware of Majors’ arrest and was “deeply concerned by the allegations.”
The statement went on to say that while the actor “is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete.”
Majors was arrested in Manhattan on Saturday on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment after a 30-year-old woman described as his girlfriend accused him of choking her during a domestic incident inside a car.
The actor’s criminal defense lawyer said Sunday Majors is “completely innocent” and is “provably” the real victim in this situation.
Attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement that there is video footage from the car and witness testimony clearing Majors of any wrongdoing, as well as two written statements from his accuser recanting the assault allegations.
Chaudhry added that the 33-year-old Marvel star’s girlfriend was having an “emotional crisis,” for which she was hospitalized.
The now-shelved Army ads starring Majors, titled “Overcoming Obstacles” and “Pushing Tomorrow,” were part of a plan to revive the Army’s iconic “Be All You Can Be” motto.
They highlighted the history of the Army and some of the professions that recruits can pursue.
A two-minute preview, released before the official media campaign rollout in early March, showed soldiers jumping out of airplanes, working on helicopters, climbing obstacle courses and diving underwater.
A voiceover proclaimed: “We bring out the best in the people who serve, because America calls for nothing less.”
In 2022, the Army fell 25% short of its goal to sign up 60,000 new troops, marking the worst recruiting year in recent history.
The Army turned to Majors, currently appearing in the “Creed” sequel opposite Michael B. Jordan and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” starring Paul Rudd, hoping to capitalize on his high profile to draw tens of thousands of young men and women to the military service.
TMZ reported that the Emmy-nominated actor got into a heated argument with his girlfriend on a ride home from a Brooklyn bar.
Police were called to an apartment in Chelsea after 11 p.m. and arrested Majors after his girlfriend accused him of assaulting and choking her, leaving marks on her neck.
He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on six counts of third-degree assault, three counts of third-degree attempted assault, and two counts of harassment.
Majors was released on his own recognizance and told to return to court on May 8.
