Jonathan Majors' Parents: He Was Mostly Raised by His Pastor Mother

Known for his roles in "Lovecraft Country" and "Da 5 Bloods," Jonathan Majors' parents raised him until he was nine. At that point, his father, Winfred Majors, disappeared from their lives for 17 years. His mother, Terri Anderson-Mays, worked hard to support her kids, even donating blood at times for money.

Before moving to Texas, Jonathan Majors grew up at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara, where his father, who worked for the US Air Force, was stationed. After moving to Texas, his parents separated, and the actor felt that his father had suddenly disappeared from their lives.

As a result, Jonathan Majors' mother had to fend for her children. While it wasn't an ideal family setting for the actor, he grew up a hard-working and persevering man, proving he could succeed even without a father.

Jonathan Majors' Mother, Terri Anderson-Mays, Worked in Healthcare

For several years Terri, a single mother of three, went above and beyond to put food on the table and sometimes donated blood to make ends meet, and her son recalled they were poor.

Because of their financial instability, she was forced to move her family from place to place until settling in Dallas. Terri worked as a qualified mental health professional at LifeNet, Inc., before moving to Transicare, Inc. for the same position.

With her background in Social Work at Southwest Texas State University and Marriage & Family Therapy at Liberty University Online Programs, Terri secured a job at Private Practice SoulWork Counseling. In 2019, she became a Licensed Professional Counselor at Metrocare Services.

Terri Anderson-Mays Became a Pastor

Besides her healthcare career, the actor's mother received a master's degree in divinity and became a pastor. Because of the nature of her work in the spiritual community, Jonathan's first on-screen role became a conversation topic between them. The actor shared:

"My mom's a pastor, and [in] my first professional job, I was playing 'the homosexual.' And my mother called me and said she was getting a lot of pushback from her congregation because she was promoting the show. And she was like, 'Yeah, but you understand Jai is not gay. He's just playing a character that's gay.'"

Winfred Majors Is a Business Intelligence Developer

On the other hand, his father pursued a career as a business developer. He has worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adobe, and Prime Technical Services Inc. Before his career in the business world, he joined the US Air Force.

Besides disappearing from his family, Winfred was a good father to his son. Jonathan said he had no bad memories with his father that fueled him. "I have no moment in my life where I go 'That's what I pull from all the time," he revealed.

However, Jonathan wanted to prove he could be successful with an absent father. Growing up, he was equipped with the correct values, and even his mom made him recite the mantra, "No drinking, no drugs, no sex," every time he left home.

Terri also taught her son the importance of communicating well and was a stepping stone in his success as she supported his acting classes in Manhattan.

By the time Winfred returned, his son was already a grown man. The two have been working on mending their relationship, and since the pandemic, there have been reconciliation efforts that Jonathan does not discuss publicly.

The actor has since fulfilled his dream of becoming successful. Although Jonathan Majors isn't married, he is a proud father to Ella Majors. He has learned to keep his personal life private and separates it from his professional one. So when a controversial photo of him and Michael B. Jordan made rounds on the internet, people speculated him to be gay.