SPEC cancels annual spring speaker event with Jonathan Majors after his arrest

Penn’s Social Planning and Events Committee Connaissance has canceled its April 4 event with actor Jonathan Majors after he was arrested on charges of assault and harassment. 

Majors was arrested on March 25 in New York on charges of strangulation, assault, and harassment after being accused of assaulting a woman during a “domestic dispute," The Guardian reported.

“The April 4th speaking engagement with Jonathan Majors has been canceled," College senior and SPEC President Evonna Moody wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. "We will be in contact with ticket holders to provide reimbursements for their purchases promptly.”

Major recently starred in “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania," putting his name on the map as a rising Hollywood actor. Majors has also been cast to play Kang, the main villain in Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which is set to be released in 2025.

Majors’ criminal defense lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, told The Guardian that he "is completely innocent and is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows."

Following his arrest, the U.S. Army suspended its TV ad campaign starring Majors, which was marketed toward younger audiences, out of deep “concern from the allegations surrounding his arrest.” 

A judge ordered Majors' release on March 25, and he is scheduled to appear in court on May 8. 

SPEC Connaissance brings high-profile keynote speakers who "educate, challenge and entertain" the Penn community. In the past, Trevor Noah, Keke Palmer, and Simu Liu visited Penn through the speaker series. 

Last Spring, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer visited Penn for SPEC Connaissance's spring speaker event. Schafer’s talk focused on her career path as a model-turned-actress and her advocacy for LGBTQ rights and trans representation in the media. 

SPEC's Spring Fling concert will take place on Friday, April 21. The headliner has yet to be announced.