Keke Palmer explains why she pulled Jonathan Majors podcast interview after backlash

Keke Palmer has explained why she decided to pull an interview with former Marvel actor Jonathan Majors after her plans prompted backlash.

Majors was found guilty of two misdemeanour counts of reckless assault and harassment towards his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in December 2023. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to take a domestic violence course and continue counselling after a trial.

One of Them Days star Palmer had interviewed the actor for an April episode of her podcast Baby, This is Keke Palmer. But after the news sparked an outcry online, a decision was made not to broadcast it.

“When I’m doing my hosting, I’m here to be unbiased,” she told the Breakfast Club. “Everybody that sits in your chair, you don’t agree with everything they did, you don’t love everything, but you gotta have the conversation. You have to set the stage for them to speak and for people to watch and take what they wanna take from it, so that’s why I was open and excited to do the interview.”

She explained: “Ultimately, with my partners, it was just decided – they saw the reaction that people felt it was insensitive, that maybe we shouldn’t put it out.”

Palmer added that the interview was recorded and available to view if demand were there.

“It’s always there, if people wanted to see it,” she continued. “But I always wanna be respectful and understand where everybody’s coming from. If they’re not going to feel like they’re going to receive anything good from the interview, then OK, cool.”

She admitted she struggled to see why Majors shouldn’t be afforded a platform, adding: “I mean, people sit down with serial killers. I’m not comparing him to a serial killer, but at the end of the day, I felt like, as a journalist, I’m supposed to talk and we’re supposed to hear and let the public decide how they want to feel. But that didn’t get a chance to happen.”

Majors tied the knot with wife and actor Meagan Good earlier this year. Good had been visibly supportive and by Majors’ side throughout the high-profile trial. Palmer added she wished the couple “all the best”.

“I really wanna say that because I don’t judge nobody ’cause I don’t want to be judged. So at the end of the day, I’m happy for Meagan. I’m happy for them.”