Actor Jonathan Majors made headlines at the Sundance Film Festival this week, not for his latest film, but for his bold stance in solidarity with a Black queer journalist on the red carpet. Social media has been buzzing with conversations after a video of actor Jonathan Majors defending journalist Daric L. Cottingham went viral.
The 33-year-old actor promoted his picture “Magazine Dreams” at Sundance. While answering a question from Cottingham, Majors was abruptly cut off by a festival staff member who declared there was “no more time for questions” in a video that Cottingham tweeted out. While his spokesperson Carrie Gordon politely urged the worker to allow Cottingham to pose their question, Majors stood steadfastly on the carpet and did not budge for the video. “Just give me two seconds — we’re going to do this one interview,” Gordon said. As soon as Cottingham turned to Majors, the latter instructed them to pose their inquiry.
Also, this happened and Jonathan Majors is so nice/kind & stood up for me to make sure I got my question answered. 🫶🏽 lol the life of a Black journalist. pic.twitter.com/tJo0PtvX0d
— Daric L. Cottingham, M.A. (@DaricCott) January 21, 2023
Cottingham provided background information after the video went popular online. “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. Posting a video from the “Magazine Dreams” carpet, Cottingham asked Majors at what age he decided to pursue acting professionally.
Super cut of the premiere of “Magazine Dreams” press line w/ Jonathan Majors and Taylour Paige #Sundance2023 #SundanceFilmFestival 🎥🎬 pic.twitter.com/MAmkxMS3le
— Daric L. Cottingham, M.A. (@DaricCott) January 21, 2023
When reached for comment, Sundance’s representatives waited to reply. Cottingham said in an email statement to Insider that the reception to their video has been “a little overwhelming” but that they’ve had viral moments before.
The Sundance representatives called them and allegedly said that the employee’s actions were “about time, and not racially motivated.” According to Cottingham, Sundance assured them that the company takes such situations very seriously, and subsequent steps backed up the company’s word.
Do you agree with Jonathon Mayers on the support of LGBTQ? Let us know!
“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, 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.
Cottingham did, however, mention the people’s anger about the circumstance. “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,”
As an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Lady Gaga also utilized her performance to voice her opposition to government intervention in the institution of gay marriage.
"I would like to dedicate this song to every woman in America. To every woman who now has to worry about her body if she gets pregnant. I pray that this country will speak up and we will not stop until its right!" – Lady Gaga talking about abortion rights at The #ChromaticaBallDC pic.twitter.com/YjwlC0rg7C
— Ryan | Lady Gaga 🏳️🌈 (@ryanleejohnson) August 9, 2022
Cottingham’s ordeal sparked several online conversations on the treatment of Black reporters at news conferences. Journalist Natasha S. Alford chimed in, writing that she had “Absolutely been there” and adding that “Black journalists frequently get disregarded and dismissed.” Twitter users jumped up to say that this is a typical occurrence, leaving little time for Black journalists to ask questions at the end of speeches. An associate editor at Deadline named Valerie Complex responded to the video by tweeting that she had seen the scenario firsthand on the carpet.
I saw you on the press line yesterday. The way it was set up was so typical with poc press at the back
— valerie complex (@ValerieComplex) January 21, 2023
