Meagan Good plays a woman working through divorce in her latest movie. She says she’s bringing her own experiences to the screen.
The 42-year-old actor visited TODAY with Hoda & Jenna July 9 to discuss her role in Tyler Perry’s “Divorce in the Black.” She said she channeled feelings from her 2021 divorce from DeVon Franklin to help people “feel seen” and “give them empowerment.”
“I was happy to just delve into this role because of (Ava’s) journey. Once she accepted what was happening and she realized there was nothing that she could do about it, then she had to get excited about the second act of her life,” Good said of her role. “And I understand that feeling very, very intimately.”
Elaborating on the topic of divorce, she said, “I want women and men to feel, ‘Yeah, I can do this.’ It seems like something ended, but something beautiful is beginning.”
Good and Franklin, a producer, were married in 2012 and filed for divorce in 2021. She told Hoda and Jenna she was “married for a decade to a wonderful person,” and said they’re “still friends.”
“To me it’s a success when you’ve learned a lot, when you’ve given a lot, when you take a lot with you, when you’re a better person for it,” she said. “You could say, ‘This sucks, this is not fair.’ Or you could say, ‘You know what, we got to do this and we’ve grown so much and we gave each other so much.’”
Romantically linked to actor Jonathan Majors since 2023, Good opened up about their relationship and recent challenges to Hoda and Jenna.
“The support we’ve been able to give to each other, the pouring into each other, the honest conversations, the love, the respect, just the care, and the thoughtfulness, it’s been really wonderful,” Good said.
Majors stood trial last year for assault and harassment charges related to a March 25, 2023 incident between himself and his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, which took place in an SUV in Manhattan. Majors did not testify at the trial.
A jury found Majors guilty of two of the four counts brought against him in December 2023.
In a statement to NBC News, Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry said: “It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr. Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her. We are grateful for that. We are disappointed, however, that despite not believing Ms. Jabbari, the jury nevertheless found that Mr. Majors was somehow reckless while she was attacking him.”
“Mr. Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends, and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months. Mr. Majors still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name,” Chaudhry added.
When asked if her personal circle suggested she wait to get into a relationship with the “Creed” actor amid his pending trial, Good said on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, “every friend advised me.”
“At the end of the day, one thing I know is that I can always look myself in the mirror when I trust my spirit, when I trust God, when I ask God, when I move to the beat of my own drum — I can always look and say, ‘I’m proud of that,’” she said. “Whatever happens, I have peace in my heart and I have harmony in my heart.”
Good added that, though she respects the opinions of her friends and family, she does not like to make choices based on “what someone else is saying.”
“I take everyone’s opinion and advice into account, for sure, but at the end of the day, I’m the one who has to live my life. I’m the one who has to get to Heaven one day, prayerfully, and give God an account of what I did,” she continued. “So, I want to be responsible for the choices that I make. I also want to live the life that I want to live.”
Good and Majors originally sparked dating rumors in May 2023 after being photographed together. She Good walked hand-in-hand with Majors at his appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court in June 2023, and was also by Majors’ side during his court appearances from August to December 2023.
