Jason Momoa hates to wear a helmet while riding his motorcycle: ‘It’s a choice’

FFN_Momoa_Jason_MET_070814_51472678

Jason Momoa looks sticky in these photos, doesn’t he? He was spotted in NYC yesterday, where he was promoting Road to Paloma, the film he wrote and directed and stars in. It comes out on DVD next week! And Jason also got his wife Lisa Bonet (that lucky bitch) to do a supporting part in it too. Where was I? Oh, yes. Sticky. It’s really friggin’ hot here in Virginia, and I’m assuming it’s mind-numbingly hot and humid in NYC as well. So, Jason probably is rather damp. Sweaty. Sticky. Smelling of sweaty man-musk. Ready to strip off and get into the shower. Okay, I’ll stop. UNF. While I hate his hat, I kind of love his too-tight shirt. And you guys know I’m completely fine with his scruffy beard. I actually prefer him with some kind of facial hair. I want to pull on his beard a little bit.

Jason has been doing a lot of press for Paloma, but most of his interviewers just want to ask him questions about Aquaman and Batman vs. Superman. I sort of feel for him because he must have been sworn to secrecy – he has to refuse to answer all of those comic book questions completely. But he did drop this interesting tidbit in a recent interview with Salon –he was asked about how he rides a motorcycle without a helmet in Road to Paloma:

I don’t like riding with a helmet, even though I have kids. In California, I wear it but not in Hawaii. Whether it’s stupid or not, it’s a choice. If I’m on the open road, or in the desert, I don’t, but in traffic, I will.

[From Salon]

Yeah, that’s pretty dumb. And no, I don’t this is one of those things where you can say “it’s a choice” – implying that it’s just a personal choice affecting one person, the person who chooses to not ride with a helmet. That would be false. I wish he wore a helmet ALL the time (to protect his beautiful head) and not just in traffic.

FFN_Momoa_Jason_MET_070814_51472679

FFN_Momoa_Jason_MET_070814_51472680

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

95 Responses to “Jason Momoa hates to wear a helmet while riding his motorcycle: ‘It’s a choice’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Lilacflowers says:

    It’s a choice, yes, an unbelievably stupid choice, but a choice. Just like the decision whether or not to stick your head in an oven is a choice.

    • Audrey says:

      It’s a choice and an awful one. But how much can you do to protect people from themselves?

    • FLORC says:

      It’s a choice… Unless it’s the law depending on state.

      Does this man ever say anything that isn’t incredibly stupid? Just like his GoTs I have the best job because I get to rape beautiful women… or whatever it was.
      Ugh.

    • GirlyGirl says:

      Yeesh, what exactly would a helmet protect? He doesn’t seem very bright.

  2. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I am in total lust with Jason, but I think it’s so idiotic not to wear a helmet when you ride a motorcycle. Or to think you wife, children or someone else involved in your accident would not be terribly effected by your “choice” if it was a fatal one.

    • LadyMTL says:

      I am with you 100% (on the lust and the helmet issue, lol). I mean, just riding a bicycle without a helmet can be incredibly dangerous, never mind a motorbike. I don’t care how good or safe a driver you think you are, all it takes is one conk on the head.

      Heck, my mom slipped on a throw rug a few years ago and banged her head and she ended up needing brain surgery due to a subdural hematoma! Thankfully she’s fine today but yeah…protect your brain, people.

      • Audrey says:

        It’s not about trusting your ability to drive. You can’t trust the other drivers to not be incompetent or distracted.

        My husband is a great driver and very safe. But we still wear seatbelts and put our kid in a car seat

      • mg says:

        All elderly (or near-elderly) people need to get rid of the throw rugs. They are such a common cause of falls and brain bleeds. Glad your mom survived and did well as subdural hematomas commonly kill or leave tremendous disability.

        On another note, I’d be so pissed if my husband were to get a motorcycle. Glad he thinks they’re just as dangerous as I do.

      • shix says:

        I am totally with you on lusting after Jason Mchotty Hot Hot Momoa. I dislike that bloody beard and I wanna bite his arms 😊 what can I say, he brings out my inner vampire 😉
        About the helmet though, um…..not much brain in there to protect. #justsaying

    • Steph says:

      Yes, which most likely, if he is riding without a helmet, there is an extremely high probability that it would be fatal. That’s what we, in medicine, refer to people like him as “organ donors”. But like he said, it’s his choice. It’s a really, really stupid choice.

      • mg says:

        In medicine we also refer to motorcycles as “donorcycles,” as injured riders often die even with a helmet. These days I care less if people wear helmets (am trying to break my own paternalistic tendencies), but maybe helmet-less riders who become injured should have to cover the brain injury-related portion of their own medical costs. Unfortunately, this means the cost would most often fall on their innocent families. Guess this is just another example of “can’t fix stupid.”

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      People that ride without helmets are usually Harley guys (or they ride with a “fake” little Justin Theroux-like beanie) or guys who use their bikes as a d*ck-extension.
      In Mass we have helmet laws (yet you still see people without them sometimes) but it’s a short drive to New Hampshire (Harley Land), where no helmets are required for motorcycle drivers.
      I dated a motorcycle tech last summer and got to try out tons of really fun bikes, but I ALWAYS wore a helmet. I would have felt totally unprotected and fearful without it. Plus, it’s just the smart thing to do.

      Of the two guys I dated that had bikes, both had been in SERIOUS accidents, even WITH helmets on. Brian was in the hospital for weeks after an accident where a girl was texting and ran a red light and mowed his bike over. Without a helmet, he likely would have died.

    • Mimi says:

      A friend of a friend was a p.a. on GOT. He never met Jason but heard such great things from people who had met Jason. Super nice guy, apparently. He needs to get rid of the scruff. It’s hiding the pretty lol. Love the scene in RTP where Lisa helps him shave. Lucky, lucky woman.

      • homegrrrl says:

        Lisa Bonet has been with the Gods of our time, Lenny K, and now this guy? Whoa, too sexy for a helmet, def Easy Rider. And why do people get up in arms about “choice”. If we make laws about every single personal choice then we drive the police force to use cameras of speeders who get tickets in the mail. So let choice be choice and leave the other stuff to the law.

        I may not be very articulate here because this man is crankin sexy.

    • Size Does Matter says:

      I’m ready to start an online petition to keep him off the motorcycle altogether. We need to preserve our national treasures.

  3. Lucy2 says:

    It may be a choice, but it’s an incredibly foolish one.

  4. GiGi says:

    My state just went “helmet free”. I come from a long line of bikers (my Great Grandfather rode into his 90s!) and every time I see someone without a helmet I think, “Look at that idiot.”

    It doesn’t take much to lay down a bike and many times it’s out of the operator’s control. I can’t tell you how many times now they report on motorcycle fatalities – usually single vehicle accidents – and these people are never wearing a helmet.

    I guess it’s personal choice, but you’re not only taking your life in your hands, but if you’re seriously injured or killed, the taxpayers are paying for the police to come to your rescue, not to mention all the emergency workers and hospital staff that will now be attending you. And your family!?!?! Seriously… all for a little wind in your hair? Not worth it, IMO.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Not only are the taxpayers paying for the police, but if the biker survives with major disabling spinal or head injuries, the taxpayers cover the long-term health costs through Medicaid.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      I have a good friend who hit and killed a man on a motorcycle (no helmet) on a country road. He pulled right out in front of her and there was nothing she could do. She was six months pregnant, and she was seriously injured and lost the baby. She will have to live with all the “what ifs” for the rest of her life. It has been years, but she still has nightmares about it and wakes up crying or screaming.

      • GiGi says:

        So awful – I’m sorry for your friend.

        My parents once went out for a ride after a storm and had a giant tree fall across the road right in front of them. They were forced to lay down their bikes or hit the tree. Because they were wearing helmets, I still have parents today. They were picking gravel out of themselves for a week, but they’re still here!

        My husband and son ride dirtbikes and basically wear an exoskeleton of protective gear. They’re going much slower on much more predictable (no cars, no loose gravel, etc.) terrain but no one rides without their full gear. It’s insane to me when I see people on the roads in shorts & flip flops – no helmet – going 70. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Thank goodness your parents have sense and are still with you! I’ve always thought your posts were thoughtful, intelligent and had a lot of insight – having smart parents probably contributed to that.

      • GiGi says:

        Aw, thanks, GoodNames. Let’s start a mutual admiration society 😉

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Wow, GNAT, that is a very tragic story. I feel for your friend!

      • homegrrrl says:

        I feel for your friend, but he may have died anyway. Helmets can’t prevent a fatal neck injury or brain death from impact. Pro football players wear helmets and TBI (traumatic brain injuries) are rampant and life changing in this sport. So to say helmets prevent most fatalities is delusional.

    • kri says:

      First off, you are making the wrong choice, Jason. THINK OF YOUR FACE!! No, seriously, it’s so very stupid. You might be a master of motorcycles, but the problem is others on the road may be terrible drivers, and you are screwed(and your kids). On anotherr note, his outfit reminds me of how they dressed Marlon Brando as Dr. Moreau .

  5. AG-UK says:

    DONOR is what a Dr friend calls them

    • the original bellaluna says:

      My dad (an avid rider who built his own trike and owned a classic Harley) called them “road pizza.”

      He drilled motorcycle safety into my head from a very early age (protective gear, leather jackets and boots no matter how hot it may be, never ride without a helmet) and one of the best lessons he taught me was this: When I learned to drive, he told me to always assume the rider didn’t know his machine and give them extra room.

  6. don't kill me i'm french says:

    He’s as idiot about security as the other motorbikers i know.
    Every law to protect the driver are for them a fetter to their liberty

  7. Marianne says:

    I dont know the laws in Hawaii, but in most places its the LAW to wear a helmet. So not only is he putting his life at risk, but he could also get fined, and possibly lose his license.

    I wish there were more laws around bicycle riding too though. It absolutely annoys me seeing people biking around town without using a helmet. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been riding all your life or if its your first time, you never know when an accident might happen.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      It only takes one parked car door opening.

    • TG says:

      I make my toddler daughter wear a helmet and good tennis shoes when she is riding her bike. The neighbors however let their kids out with no helmet and flip flops and no shoes too. I always tell them to go out on tennis shoes or they can’t ride with us. They always listen because they want to ride with us. Once the mom even her tiny barefoot 4 year-old if he thought he should put on shoes before riding. Really? It isn’t his choice.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I cut my little toe almost all the way off riding a bike barefooted back in the dark ages when there weren’t any restrictions. My mother had told me not to about a hundred times, but I didn’t listen. Ouch.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      I posted above, in New Hampshire there is no law and I believe Iowa and Illinois is the same.
      A LOT of states only have helmet laws for kids under 17. So stupid.

  8. feebee says:

    And it’s a dumb choice.

    The fact that it’s a choice also shows the up the unevenness of laws. Wearing a seat belt in a car is not a choice, but wearing a helmet on a motorcycle is. Where is the logic in that?

  9. Lindy79 says:

    It should be law everywhere. Its pure vanity/macho bullshit not wanting to wear one.
    Same for cyclists…it pisses me off no end when you see them on main roads with no helmets.

    • Wren33 says:

      Although interestingly, there was some study recently that showed in some ways cyclists without helmets were safer because cars gave them a much wider berth. However, it seems crazy now that I grew up without wearing a helmet, and I think it is idiotic not to.

      • Lindy79 says:

        I had an argument (probably too strong a word) with a guy in work who cycled in. He got hit by a car in the business park. Luckily was ok, nothing major as they were both going slowly. he had no helmet and had earphones. his argument was that earphones are no different to having your radio on in a car which is quite frankly bullshit. In a car and even on a motorcycle, you have mirrors so you’re not depending on your awareness from hearing your surroundings to see what’s behind you, a bike is a different story.

        He has 2 young kids so it’s beyond irresponsible not to wear a helmet when he’s cycling around.

  10. Eleonor says:

    I am a biker, and yes it’s a choice: between being a stupid or not.
    You can fall for some reason and end in a coma for the rest of your life.
    A good friend of mine had an accident on a moto: a car did not respect the STOP sign,to avoid ending in the car they had to brake she literally flew over the car (she was the passenger) and landed on the other side. The helmet broke into two pieces, and she is still here to tell you.
    WEAR THE HELMET ALWAYS.
    and the total ones, not the ones which leave your face free.

    • snowflake says:

      thank you! I’ve seen people with the half face helmets and I think I guess you don’t care about your face.

      • Eleonor says:

        One word: teeth.
        And then there are all those insects ending all over your face. It hurts!!
        Helmet is the first thing, but gloves, boots and a proper jacket are not there for fashion but to protect you.
        I love my moto, and riding with my boyfriend, but people should be educated to safety.
        You’re not smarter, or macho: you’re just being stupid.

  11. Illyra says:

    It’s only a matter of time before motorcycling (or bicycling) in America without a helmet is illegal. If you get hurt, everyone pays… not only you and your family.

    I think choosing not to wear a helmet is just stupid anyway, but whatever.

  12. Sayrah says:

    Sigh… I miss Game of Thrones. What was he saying again?

  13. Amanda says:

    It’s a choice, but a very unethical one. Think if you are involved in a collision with another person. A helmet is the difference between death/disfigurement and walking away. Don’t put that guilt on someone else for the rest of their lives because you like to feel the wind in your hair.

  14. Snowpea says:

    Phwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooar.

    That is all ; )

  15. Sighs says:

    If your choice is not to protect your brain, then maybe it isn’t worth keeping anyway.

  16. Mel says:

    Ugh, there is something so off-putting in his Barbie-doll smirk…
    (To me, obviously.)

  17. Dash says:

    Can you legally ride a motorcycle in the US without a helmet? In Australia you can’t even ride a bicycle without a helmet!

    • GiGi says:

      It’s state by state. And while you’d think we’d all be moving toward making it mandatory, my state of Michigan just repealed the mandatory helmet law under our awful Republican governor. He thinks it should be a “personal choice”, too.

    • feebee says:

      A helmet’s not required in Illinois either. It gives me shivers sometimes when they hoon past on the highway doing 75(mph!) without head gear. I guess they want the wind blowing through the hair most of them used to have.

  18. Lis says:

    There was a guy in the town I grew up in who took a motorbike for a test drive without a helmet, hit a brick wall head first. He was never the same … had to relearn everything, even the alphabet.

    No helmet is the stupidest thing you can ‘choose’ to do. Perhaps he’s so incredibly dumb that there is nothing worth protecting in his cranium? Just a thought …

  19. Aussie girl says:

    In Australia it mandatory that you wear a helmet in every state. To me it’s a no brainer (pardon the pun). We once had a guy come to our school to do a talk on helmet safety in a wheel chair. His injury was from a push bike hitting a car with no helmet. I remember leaving the hall that day with a simple message, if you don’t think a helmets cool than imagine a wheelchair. Message was received loud and clear

    • Lori says:

      Its mandatory here in Canada too. Same as the seat belt and car seat laws.

    • Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

      This man has courage and caring for doing this because he is actively trying to prevent what happened to him from happening to others.

  20. the original bellaluna says:

    Pretty but a little light in the brain. Sad.

  21. Dany says:

    most people think they are unbreakable and that serious accidents only happen to other people.
    A helmet is no guarantee but it´s better than nothing

  22. nicegirl says:

    Wear a helmet! I injured my head a few years back – and I will likely have some level of damage to my brain forever. It SUCKS. I would like my kids to wear helmets 24/7, but they balk at wearing them while sleeping, walking, in the shower . . . WEAR A HELMET

  23. Tiffany :) says:

    I can’t with the hat. I just realized how Jason’s style is like Johnny Depp’s and I can’t unsee it.

    • Hannah says:

      Nah Jason is not a scarfmonster it’s just that hat and grungy get up. Lots of hipster men dress like this it looks fine on a younger man but depp just looks ridiculous and contrived with the zillion scarfs and necklaces.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I think it is overkill. He isn’t a scarfmonster (yet), but he wears tons of jewelry and lots of hats, etc. I think he would look a lot better if he didn’t try to fight the pretty, which was how Depp got started.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        I agree with Tiffany. Yes, he can technically “pull it off” (unlike Johnny who just looks laughable) but I still can’t get down with the hobo look. Especially on someone as fine as this man..why cover up that beautiful face with a gross beard?

    • Amanda says:

      Difference is Jason can pull it off, whereas Johnny is too old to wear stuff like that.

  24. Hannah says:

    Omg he is so hot! There should be daily posts with him like you do with those pale Brits!

  25. Ice Queen says:

    Jason lost few points. I’m a little less in lust with him 🙁 Why, Jason, WHYYYY ????

  26. Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

    Now there needs to be a law requiring texting pedestrians to wear helmets so we wouldn’t have to listen to ‘chirp chirp chirp for three block radius because non-blind people can’t pay attention while crossing the street.

  27. Amanda says:

    It is a choice, but it’s a dumb one. Hopefully he doesn’t suffer the consequences.

  28. kmd0113 says:

    It is a choice, and choices have consequences.

  29. EllaM says:

    Here in Germany helmets are mandatory and I wouldn’t even want to ride without my full face helmet because during the summer it usually is covered with dead insects that would have hit me right in the face otherwise…

    And you should wear protective clothing. I had two accidents on my bike. Both at low speeds but I was quite bruised after them anyway. In one of them I made a turn right out of an parking space. It was cold outside, so the tarmac and my wheels were cold. I pulled the throttle too hard, lost traction and fell on my right side. The bike dragged me over the tarmac for 2-3 meters and I had bruises all over the right side of my body, although I wore a jeans and a (thin) motorcycle jacket. So just imagine what happens to those cool guys who are riding their bikes with a t-shirt and no helmet on. If they fall, the tarmac works like coarse sand paper on pure flesh at 55 mp/h…

  30. Oceansoul89 says:

    Wow.. can’t believe that. I’ve seen all kinds of horrific accidents. Online and in real life and many weren’t wearing helmets. Needless to say, their brains were on the road afterwards.

    I no longer have a crush on him..

  31. yolo112 says:

    …I REALLY wanted to read the whole artlcle, but as soon as I saw his pics…everything kinda just went away… mmm mmmmmm mmmmmmm… he makes my pants shoot right the hell off. I’m pretty sure I got just as sticky and hawt as he is just from lookin at him. **phew**

  32. megsie says:

    I remember those days before the nanny state regulated such things as seat belts and motorcycle helmets. My uncle road for 30 years without a helmet. Never had an accident. He died in his 50s of liver cancer. Ironically, his sister, my aunt, always wore a helmet and she died of a brain injury. Death will find us, my friends, no matter what we do to avoid it. That said, I’ve been on a motorcycle half a dozen times and always wore a helmet. I do agree with Jason that the decision is a personal one. I don’t necessarily think it’s a stupid one either. I’ve no doubt he knows the risks. He simply considers the pleasure of riding w/o a helmet worth those risks. Also, if you read the full article, he DOES wear a helmet in certain circumstance – high traffic areas, for instance. My only beef with all this is that, imo, once we have kids, the game changes and some risks open and acceptable to the childfree become irresponsible for a parent of young children.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      This comment is very pragmatic and hard to argue with.

      Agree about the difference when one has kids as well. I’ve also talked to many former bikers who’ve had to surrender their bikes per wife’s request.

    • EllaM says:

      The brother of a friend of mine always drove without a seatbelt because he didn’t want to be crippled after an accident – he’d rather die in it. And he did. In a completely harmless accident, where he was thrown through the windshield and died of internal bleedings. With a seatbelt on, he’d still be alive. When the paramedics arrived, he was still alive and able to talk and he didn’t want to die in his early twenties. Yes, death will find us but I don’t think we have to speed up the process by making stupid decisions.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        That is heartbreaking.

      • astra says:

        That’s the point, it’s a personal decision! He chose to be reckless and make a bad decision, and he suffered the consequences. I don’t mean to sound uncaring but wearing your seatbelt is a law and he didn’t wear it. So how is legislation going to force the people who won’t wear helmets or seatbelts really making a difference? It annoys me because it’s just a revenue grab and treats people like they are children. I thought we lived in a free country, and part of freedom should be the right to make stupid decisions. You can’t legislate everything and who would want to? We started with seatbelts, now we are onto banning sodas! Where does it end?

        Oh and not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt is extremely stupid, IMO. But I shouldn’t get to tell others how they should live.

    • msw says:

      I can’t imagine an argument where it is not stupid to forgo a helmet. Riding a motorcycle is risky enough, but it can be much safer if you take the proper precautions, which includes consistent and correct helmet use. Even if there are no guarantees, why stack the deck again st yourself for something so silly, especially when you have kids?

  33. Sparkly says:

    I’m a biker, and I loathe seeing others without helmets, even in states where it’s legal. I toe the line with gear, I must admit. Leather just gets so hot in summer, and sometimes when I know the roads, I just want to feel the wind and get a tan. And I hate myself for doing that, because if I wrecked, I’d be hamburger! But the helmet thing in particular just triggers me too badly. I lost my mom due to brain trauma from a car accident – and that was with her belted and surrounded by a full vehicle. All I can see is her poor head any time I look at some idiot without a helmet. I can’t ride with folks who do that. My husband likes to ride behind bikers and give them a good buffer, since so many people ride too closely. If they’re helmetless, I have to make him pass or pull over somewhere for a stop. :/

  34. rlh says:

    I did not read through all the comments, so I am sorry if someone already posted this from a Jerry Seinfeld bit:
    “Why do we have helmet laws for people who ride motorcycles? Are these really brains we want to protect?”
    I think that sums it up. Shame he’s a dingbat but I kind of always thought so.

  35. Nemesis says:

    I don’t wear a helmet when I ride my horse.

    • astra says:

      Do you ride Western? A lot of people that do never wear helmets. I only ride English and I always, ALWAYS wear a helmet. So did everyone I ever rode with or saw in my barn(s). Except the few who rode Western!

  36. Girl down says:

    So, yeah. Helmet, or no helmet, I would scrape him off the road, and hit it so hard that he’d regenerate.

  37. astra says:

    Wow, so many of you think this guy is hot! I guess it really is subjective because he doesn’t do anything for me. At ALL. Y’all can have him!! 😀

  38. daisyfly says:

    Not wearing a helmet in Hawai’i traffic is like playing a game of Russian Roulette with only one chamber empty. Hawai’i traffic is some of the worst in the country, and local drivers have the road awareness of a blind man in a dark room full of tacks.

  39. Girl Down says:

    Seriously, I need more Jason Momoa stories, Celebitchy staff. He just does it for me.

  40. SpankFD says:

    For the love of God, could someone please get him a stylist?