10 Fast Facts About Jesse James

There aren’t a lot of people in the automotive world who don’t know who Jesse James is. The spotlight shined the brightest on James in the early 2000s when his TV show, Monster Garage, became popular, making James a household name across America. There is no telling how many gearheads today have Jesse James and his Monster Garage to credit for what got them into vehicles, especially the custom ones Jesse was so good at. In fact, Jesse’s fame came not only from the TV show but also from his biggest venture which he started in 1992, West Coast Choppers. James’ custom motorcycle empire was one of the most famous custom vehicle garages on the West Coast.

Over his time being famous, James even dated Hollywood A-listers like Sandra Bullock. Sadly, the couple fell out, and soon after, West Coast Choppers came to an end, too. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Jesse James has always possessed a serious gift of vehicle fabrication, which took him from his humble beginnings to one of the most famous people in the world of custom motorcycles. Big-time athletes had always been on James’ clientele, such as former WWE star Diamond Dallas Page and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neil, among other stars. While he lives a lot quieter life today than he did a couple of decades ago, he continues to be involved in the world of motorcycles, having expanded and branched out into other businesses as well.

If you’re a fan of Jesse James and his work, and you, like many others, credit him and Monster Garage for the gearhead that you are today, read on for ten fast facts about Jesse James.

10 He Had A Rough Childhood

Jesse James’ childhood was far from an ideal one. Growing up around his father’s antique business, James was raised in California, and since his father always had his hands full with work, he didn’t have much of a parental figure. His parents’ divorce, too, made things more difficult for Jesse. In fact, in his teen years, he had taken to stealing cars, something he got into trouble for often.

Moreover, he even admitted to stealing Olympian Scott Hamilton’s brand-new car and apologized for it years later. A green-on-green Porsche 911 Targa, Jesse James stole the car in his teens and stripped it down to axles just months after Hamilton had purchased it.

9 His Break Began With ‘Motorcycle Mania’

Sure, Jesse James had become synonymous with Monster Garage and the show definitely propelled him to unprecedented heights of success, but that wasn’t the first claim to fame Jesse had. While working on his West Coast Choppers empire, Jesse James had featured in a documentary by Discovery, titled ‘Motorcycle Mania’.

This documentary became so popular that Discovery then offered Jesse James his own TV show, Monster Garage, and the rest is history. Through Monster Garage, James established himself as one of the foremost fabricators and became a household name across America.

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8 He Started West Coast Choppers In His Mother’s Garage

All great business ventures begin in a garage, and so did Jesse James’ West Coast Choppers, which eventually became one of the biggest custom motorcycle garages in all of America. In 1992, James had started West Coast Choppers in a small corner out of his mother’s garage. The story behind Jesse tinkering around in his mother’s garage is a funny one.

While James spent his free time working on fenders in the garage, his old employer took note of his work and felicitated him with an order of more fenders than James could handle. Thus, Jesse had to hire his first employee, who he later fired as well. Who would have known that the small corner of his mom’s garage would turn into a multi-million dollar company?

7 He Raced In The Baja 1000

Jesse James’ trophy truck, a Chevy Silverado, is a fairly popular one. In 2011, he took the trophy Silverado all the way to Ensenada to participate in the Baja 1000 off-road motorsport race. Throughout the three days of the Baja 1000 race, James was one of the top contenders to take home the win.

However, he lost to the McMillin father-and-son team of Andy and Scott finishing 1st. James himself managed to finish 7th with a time of 16:42:02, at an average clocked speed of just over 42 mph. In a movie he later produced, James featured some of his time from this race as well.

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6 He Co-Owned A Burger Joint With Sandra Bullock

Jesse James and Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock had a seven-year-long relationship, five out of which they spent married to each other. While together, the couple owned Cisco Burger, a burger restaurant that Jesse named after his pitbull who had passed away. The restaurant’s USP was that it promoted eco-friendly food by not using preservatives and keeping everything fresh​​​​​​​.

Sadly, Cisco Burger shut down completely, and there was never a chain that the couple was able to start. Bullock and James themselves parted ways amidst a scandal that rocked Hollywood, and since then, all that remains of Cisco Burger is a dead social media page that hasn’t been operated in nearly a decade.​​​​​​​

5 He Has Tied The Knot 4 Times

While Jesse James’ marriage to Sandra Bullock is very well known (and gossiped about), not many people know that he has had three other wives since 1991. He even has two children with his first wife Karla James, who he parted ways with in 2002, after 11 years of marriage. In 2002, he married Janine Lindemulder, former American adult actress, and divorced her a couple of years later, while having a child with her as well.

Then there was Sandra Bullock, of course, his most publicized relationship which eventually became a Hollywood scandal. Lastly, James married drag racer Alexis DeJoria in 2013, but split up with her after seven years, in 2020.

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4 He Is An Ordained Minister

This is much like one of those sitcom situations where a character you least expect turns out to be an ordained minister through the internet or some weird stroke of fate. It was on Monster Garage that the crew was building a Chevy Suburban into a wedding chapel on wheels.​​​​​​​

James, influenced by the episode’s vibe and the marriage in the air, along with Minister Donald Barnes, became an ordained minister himself, in order to be able to refer to himself as Revered Jesse James.​​​​​​​

3 He Has Run Into Legal Trouble For His Builds

Jesse James has had his fair share of legal trouble, when in 2007, the California Air Resources Board fined him a staggering $271,250, stating that his motorcycle made between 1998 and 2005 let off 10 times the legal limit of hydrocarbons. James’ custom bikes did not have the proper emissions’ equipment, and even though he tried reworking said bikes, the CARB was adamant about a cash settlement.​​​​​​​

In the same year, James was also sued by a client Michael Jones, who had hired James’ company for customizing his 1949 Cadillac Sedanette for a budget between $250,000 and $350,000. For two years, James failed to produce the final product, and when costs went as high as $700,000, the client sued James, seeking $422,680 in damages.​​​​​​​

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2 He Makes Exclusive Firearms Today

Jesse James no longer works on motorcycles exclusively today but has rather expanded his business far and wide. However, there remains exclusivity in what he does, as he founded Jesse James Firearms Unlimited in 2013, where he makes exclusive firearms.​​​​​​​

One of his most notable works was his firearm dubbed ‘The Trump .45’, a bespoke version of the JJFU Grand Master X 1911 pistol he crafted for the 45th American president, Donald Trump. He has also famously built guns for Angelina Jolie and former Texas Governor Rick Perry. As part of JJFU, Jesse also sells merchandise from both West Coast Choppers and his firearm brand.

1 Today, He Lives A Quiet Life In Austin

During his time with Sandra Bullock, Jesse and the actress had lived on and off in Austin, Texas. After their highly publicized split, it seemed Jesse was eager to escape the limelight finally, and he then chose to move into the same town where Bullock lived, buying a $1.9 million mansion in Austin.

Today, he continues living in Austin, where he still maintains financial ties to the Austin Speed Shop, even though he is no longer involved in its day-to-day operations. The Austin Speed Shop had featured in his four-episode reality series Outlaw Garage, which never really took off. With his firearms business, intellectual ties with West Coast Choppers, and financial ones with the Austin Speed Shop, there’s enough to keep James’ hands full.