What All Of Jesse James' Exes Have Said About Him
Television personality Jesse James is known for his custom motorcycles and for starring on Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage." The show, which ran for five seasons, ended in 2005 and made its return in 2021. It showcased the tattooed bad boy and his crew taking regular cars and transforming them into something outrageous. His TV presence also helped his West Coast Chopper empire, with James making motorcycles for big-named stars like Shaquille O'Neal.
Unfortunately, the motorcycle mogul's name has become synonymous with infidelity. Although he has managed to stay out of much of the limelight since his highly publicized divorce from actor Sandra Bullock in 2010, his reputation as a serial cheater and troubled man came to light yet again in December 2022.
James has a long history of being unfaithful, which is one way he earned his bad-boy reputation. He's been involved in long-term marriages and short-lived engagements with actors, tattoo artists, and adult film stars. The women who have come into James' life have all spoken out about the motorcycle mechanic, some of which aren't very pleasant. Sadly, the drama surrounding James and his cheating ways has found a way to overshadow his talents as a custom bike builder. Check out what all of James' exes have said about him.
Karla James
Before Jesse James and his crew turned limos into firetrucks and convertibles into lawnmowers on "Monster Garage," fans met James on Discovery Channel's "Motorcycle Mania I." According to TCM, the documentary aired in 2000. It featured James building motorcycles in his famous West Coast Choppers shop in Long Beach, California, and showcasing them at a motorcycle event in Florida. The documentary also focused on James' personal life, where fans met his first wife, Karla James.
According to Us Weekly, the former couple was married from 1991 to 2002, and share two children, a daughter named Chandler and a son named Jesse James Jr. Little is known about James' first wife, despite having been married to the motorcycle maker for 11 years. In a clip posted by West Coast Chopper's Facebook, Karla helped start James' motorcycle shop and managed the finances. She joked about James' spending habits, "I basically don't let Jesse get his hands on the money as much as possible because he likes to spend a lot. So he's kind of like the girl in the relationship."
As of October 2020, the same Facebook post stated that Karla lived with James and his family after being "diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers and dementia."
Janine Lindemulder
Jesse James didn't wait much longer after his divorce from his first wife, Karla James, to start a new romance. According to ABC News, James married adult film star Janine Lindemulder in 2002, but the couple divorced just after one year. When the pair separated, Lindemulder was seven months pregnant with their daughter, Sunny. Unfortunately, the former couple's relationship turned sour when they found themselves in a nasty custody battle over their daughter in 2009.
ABC News reported that the porn star's chances of gaining custody of her daughter were slim after she had been released from a six-month prison stint for tax evasion and battled drug addiction. James' new wife at the time, actor Sandra Bullock, whom he married in 2005, even found her way into the picture by writing a letter to the judge where she described Lindemulder as an unfit mother. According to Access, James won custody of their daughter, Sunny, in December 2009. However, Lindemulder continued to fight for joint custody. Finally, their years-long battle ended in 2011 when James was awarded sole custody of their daughter, per People.
When James and Bullock ended their marriage in 2010, Lindemulder didn't keep quiet. In an interview for In Touch (via HuffPost), she labeled James a "chronic cheater" and shared that he had been unfaithful in their short-lived marriage. She had also shockingly alleged that James contacted her while dating the "Miss Congeniality" actor and even called her to admit he had regretted marrying Bullock.
Sandra Bullock
Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock and Jesse James' romance was the real deal when they tied the knot in July 2005. Bullock happily took on the role of stepmother to James' three children. She shared with People in 2007, "I have children, amazing children. My love and my want for their future and their happiness, for their homework to be done, and for them to know how smart and beautiful they are is no less than if I'd had a child of my own."
In 2010, In Touch Weekly published a shocking story claiming that a woman named Michelle "Bombshell" McGee had an affair with James, per Huff Post. When the news broke, James publicly apologized to his wife and his children. People reported that he entered a treatment facility for "personal issues," while more women claimed that they also had alleged affairs with James. In April 2010, Bullock filed for divorce, telling People, "I'm sad, and I am scared," while also revealing that same month that she had adopted a baby boy named Louis.
The former couple's divorce was finalized in June 2010. The "Blind Side" actor has spoken little about the highly publicized split but did tell Vogue in 2013, "I am exactly where I want to be now. You can't go backward. I'm not going backward. I'm grateful that I'm here, blessed with what I have. Nobody can be prepared for anything." Since 2015, Bullock has been dating photographer Bryan Randall, and in 2020, she adopted a daughter named Laila.
Kat Von D
Jesse James tends to move on rather quickly because, after his divorce from Sandra Bullock, tattoo artist Kat Von D confirmed that she and the motorcycle mogul were an item in August 2010, per E! News. By January 2011, the duo announced their engagement, but by July, they shared that they had split because of distance, with James living in Texas and the makeup artist in Los Angeles. However, their breakup was brief, and People reported that they were back together the following month. By September 2011, they had called it quits again; this time, it was over for good.
Kat Von D revealed shocking (or not so shocking) cheating allegations in a Facebook post, claiming that he had slept with multiple women. "Today I encountered the 19th girl to add to the list of people Jesse cheated on me with during this last year," she said, adding, "I know a deserve a big fat 'I told you so' from everyone, and wish I didn't have to say, 'You all were more right than you'll ever know,' but you were.'"
In a 2013 interview with Larry King, Kat Von D admitted that she didn't regret the relationship but that she "walked away learning a lot about [herself] more than anything."
Alexis DeJoria
Jesse James was on to his fourth wife when he married drag racer and daughter of business billionaire John Paul DeJoria, Alexis DeJoria, in March 2013.
After the two wed, DeJoria told Us Weekly that she had initially met James on the race track, and the pair had an instant connection. "We just click. I've never had that in a man before. I've never experienced that with anyone before him, so I knew it right away. He was definitely the one. It had been amazing," she said, adding, "I think I wanted to marry him the first day."
To much surprise, the couple was married for seven years, but in 2020, they called it quits. People reported that James announced the split on his Instagram, stating they "were just headed in different directions." However, Daily Mail said that James was up to his bad habits again and had allegedly cheated on his wife with several women. As for DeJoria, she appeared to stay quiet about the split and the damning allegations.
Bonnie Rotten
Jesse James wasn't giving up on love, and in June 2022, married his fifth wife, adult film star Bonnie Rotten. However, their marital bliss was short-lived after Rotten, whose real name is Alaina Antoniette, shared on Instagram Stories in December that James had allegedly cheated on her. She also announced that she was pregnant by sharing a photo of her sonogram, per Daily Mail.
Rotten wrote on Instagram, "Yeah, Jesse is busy trying to f*** other women while I'm pregnant." She then shared a "told you so" statement similar to what Kat Von D had said about her split with James when she added, "Nothing will make me feel worse than how I truly feel right now. I should've known better; you're all right." Us Weekly reported that Rotten filed for divorce from James on December 1st, but a day later, called it off to work on her marriage. However, that, too, was brief when she refiled for divorce a second time on December 6th, 2022, per TMZ.
As for James, he took to his Instagram to deny the cheating claims and apologized to his wife during her initial divorce filing. In a lengthy post, he shared (via Life&Style), "Please know. I've never thought about cheating on you. I've never tried to cheat on you. I've never had the urge to cheat on you. You are the only one I want, forever."