Jesse James fired from Sons of Anarchy guest spot for his Nazi past


It’s good to know that not Jesse James is as unwelcome in the biking community (allegedly) as he is in Hollywood, and this story is a unique crossover of both. Apparently James was set to guest star on critically acclaimed FX series “Sons of Anarchy.” That is until star Ron Perlman reminded everyone of James’ Nazi photo and alleged Nazi past and shut that down quick. I find this amusing on many levels and wanted to share:

A wide-ranging Enquirer probe also discovered allegations that Jesse, 43, was a raging racist who owned Nazi memorabilia and was quick to hurl vile ethnic slurs. He was even photographed posing in Nazi regalia, impersonating Adolf Hitler.

That past hit a sour note with “Sons of Anarchy” star Ron Perlman when the actor, who’s Jewish, learned Jesse had been signed for a guest role on the FX series about a biker gang.

Perlman, 62, told co-star Katey Sagal and her husband, series creator Kurt Sutter, that he’d quit if Jesse stepped on the set.

“Ron is a professional, drama-free, no-nonsense actor, but when he heard that Jesse had been cast, he went through the roof,” a source close to the production told The Enquirer.

“Right in front of the cast and crew, he went to Katey and Kurt and said that Jesse had a Nazi stigma attached to him and that he’d walk if Jesse was given a part on the show.

“You could hear a pin drop. No one said a word until Kurt finally spoke up and told Ron he’d take care of the situation…”

Jesse was paid for the part he was contracted for, and producers told him they were taking his character in a different direction, said the source.

“A lot of real-life bikers work on the series and most of them can’t stand Jesse,” added the source.

“It was funny to see these tough guys coming up to thank Ron for what he did.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 17, 2012]

I read James’ American Outlaw memoir (don’t judge, I only skimmed it for this job) and he explained that Nazi photo by claiming he did it in a moment of stupidity. Jesse wrote that the cap was a gift from Barry Weiss (of “Storage Wars”) and that he was just joking around when he did the Sieg Heil salute. Only before that photo came out, we heard that Jesse owned other Nazi memorabilia and that there was swastika imagery right in his office. He had a lot of handy excuses for his infidelity, too, and claimed that it didn’t matter if he cheated “ten thousand times or just once.” So maybe he’s using that same logic for his raging anti-semitism. I’m just glad that he’s still facing consequences and that people are calling him on it so openly.

This reminds me that one of my favorite comic actors, Joel McHale, is guesting on “Sons of Anarchy” and that I should make an effort to catch that episode. (It airs on September 18, and series five premieres on September 11.) I’m not caught up with the show, and only watched about half of the third season, in 2010. I’ve heard that it’s excellent though, and this story makes me want to give it another chance and start watching from the beginning. (Netflix has the first three seasons on demand.)

Here are some mancandy photos of Charlie Hunnam, just because.

Badass Ron Perlman

Header photo of Jesse James credit: Marcus Dodridge/WENN.com. Other photos credit: FX via TV.com

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36 Responses to “Jesse James fired from Sons of Anarchy guest spot for his Nazi past”

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  1. NM6804 says:

    Nazi jokes, haha, it’s so hilarious. Nevermind it’s at the cost of 60 million people. Maybe he and prince Harry can have a laugh about it together while Bullock sits in a corner next to a giant portrait of Hitler pretending to be oblivious. These people…

    Perlman did an awesome thing. So many people involved:

    It was funny to see these tough guys coming up to thank Ron for what he did.”

    yet nobody has the guts in 2012 to stand up and say: Guys come on, you know who he is and what he did. You know so really? REALLY?!

    The hell kind of a sick message is that?Why somebody would even consider giving this POS a part and give money to him is beyond me. Because they know it will boost the ratings? If so then it’s not about James anymore it’s about people who let him be and silently agree despite knowing who he is. It’s society.

    • NeNe says:

      +1. You are absolutely right!!!

    • Jay Elle says:

      You’re right, but you’re wrong. It’s estimated that 11-17 million people were killed. Not that that’s NOT a huge number anyways but…. 60 million’s a bit much…. lol

    • Raven says:

      Not everyone knows everything at the same time. Kurt Sutter’s wife, Katey Sagal, is Jewish as well. I believe had Sutter known this, he may not have hired him in the first place. Jessie has a biker image and may have seemed like a good idea.

      I worked with a fellow professional, who was up for a promotion in our office. Guess what? He was a convicted sex offender. Management did not know, until someone left a copy of the internet photo from the registered sex offender site on the manager’s desk. It changed the outcome, but he likely would have gotten the promotion if one of his peers had not put the photo on the manager’s desk.

      • NM6804 says:

        True but we’re talking the ex-husband of a forever A++ lister. A Hollywood darling with lots of connections everywhere. The story made headlines for weeks + the adoption news too. He was in the public eye for years discussing these events too. At that point, his antics far eclipsed his biker image. As if biker image >>>> Sandra Bullock. No way.

        You really rather believe that everybody from the management didn’t know about this? That they only picked him because he’s so famous only for his biker image? Because you know, they totally would have picked him if he would have been a nobody right? No, of course not. A simple Google search will give you more Bullock, cheating and nazi stories than anything else. His only worthy tie to Hollwood is Ms. Bullock. He was never an actor, merely a tv personality at best.

        News gets around fast, as if Hollywood doesn’t plan things meticulously. The real-life bikers who I don’t think follow gossip knew yet the people in charge would be totally oblivious? Everybody got silent because they never heard the sordid events from just a few years ago??? Riiiiight. I’ll stick to my theory.

        I wouldn’t have guessed that that person was a sex offender because those records are out there but you need to search for it and it isn’t exactly standard to sleuth around for dirt on co-workers is it? Hollywood news is in your face, everyday, even on the regular news. You can’t escape it.

    • Vanessa says:

      I don’t think this is true.

      Kurt got into a Twitter fight with Jesse and Kat Von D around the time of Jesse’s book release.

      Kurt Sutter said on his Twitter that Jesse had been begging to be a guest on the show for years, but Kurt said he would never be on the show.

      Kurt referred to Jesse as a poser and wannabe, and said he basically wasn’t about that life.

  2. Darlene says:

    I knew I liked Ron Perlman for a reason.

  3. Alexis says:

    1. Ron Pearlman is AWESOME.

    2. Ron Pearlman angry would scare the shit out of me.

    3. It’s disgusting that Jesse was even considered, let alone cast in that show.

  4. serena says:

    Ahahahah I’m so glad they dropped him!

  5. Bellydancer says:

    For some strange reason I dreamed about Ron last night and then to come here and read this awesome news about him is kind of weird but I do love the show.
    Oh by the way he was naked in the dream.
    I do not know what the hell that was about (lol) I was dancing into Tig Territory for those of you who watch the show (lol)

  6. NeNe says:

    I couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. LOL!!

  7. lucy2 says:

    Ron is great, glad he did that.
    Why on earth did the show hire him to begin with? All that info came out ages ago, it’s not a sudden discovery. Glad they booted him, but still should question why they hired him to begin with.

  8. Lem says:

    Jax is yummy!

  9. amanda says:

    Love Ron Pearlman. Remember what he did for the Make A Wish Kid who wanted to spend the day with Hellboy? That tugged at my heartstrings.

    SoA is a fantastic show. Gritty all the way, but I like my men dirty.

  10. Ruffian9 says:

    Never seen the show (basic cable over here), but Charlie Hunnam is all kinds of hot. And Ron Pearlman, good on you.

  11. NerdMomma says:

    I am very sad to hear that James still got paid.

  12. KellyinSeattle says:

    Sandra, good riddance to him! What were you thinking?

  13. jenfem says:

    Advertisement for Sons of Anarchy, anyone?

  14. Sarah says:

    Honestly it’s this story and the one about him dressing up as Hellboy for make a wish that make it so he could do no wrong in my eyes.

  15. bcgirl says:

    OOoo, I love this Ron guy now.

    Don’t forget that in Jesse’s Nazi pride pic he’s also holding his index finger over his lips, which is the ‘secret’ sign of the KKK. Lots of hate in that POS.

  16. oklady says:

    Like.A.M*tha.F*ckin.Boss.
    I love Ron Perlman, and am oddly attracted to him.

    • Mouse says:

      Same here. 🙂

    • jaye says:

      I have loved him since that Beauty and the Beast show he did w/Linda Hamilton.

      • the original bellaluna says:

        I like him so much, I actually watched the post-apocalyptic-futuristic weirdness that was Mutant Chronicles.

        More than once.

        On Syfy, NO LESS! *would hang head in shame, but he’s too bad-ass*

  17. JD says:

    Forget Ron, just sic Peggy Bundy on him!

    I love Katey Sagal. I would watch her mop her floor.

  18. Laura says:

    Great show, great cast/crew, and another great story!

    PS: more Charlie Hunnam pls 🙂

  19. Osito says:

    I think it’s relevant to note that Ron Pearlman has been married to the same goregous woman since 1981, who happens to be black. I can just imagine the myriad number of reasons he would not be OK with this asshole appearing on his show, and I hope he gave them the explicit run-down for even trying this stunt queen shite on an already pretty brilliant series.

    • the original bellaluna says:

      Oh, they look wonderful together! Their son (same age as my oldest, both born in ’90) sure does have his papa’s jawline, doesn’t he? And their daughter favours her mama! 🙂

  20. the original bellaluna says:

    Seems as though Jesse James’ entire life is one long series of moments of stupidity.

    Good for Ron for making his feelings known; good for Kurt and Katey for respecting everyone on the show’s feelings; buh-bye to JJ.

    (It may seem hypocritical to some, considering the subject matter and previous storylines, but there’s a big difference between actors portraying Nazis and people with actual Nazi tendencies [however transient] being hired onto hit shows.)

    • Osito says:

      It may seem hypocritical to some, considering the subject matter and previous storylines, but there’s a big difference between actors portraying Nazis and people with actual Nazi tendencies [however transient] being hired onto hit shows.

      Exactly. It’s the difference between “showcasing your incredible range and skill-set” and appearing with the credit “as himself” after your name. Incidentally, from what I’ve seen (the faux-repentance tour of 2010; the suck-it-I’m-a-rebel book tour of late 2010/early 2011) he’s really not so great at playing the character of himself either. Like, he always seems a little unsure of his lines, *even when those lines are just his thoughts about himself.*

  21. Meredith says:

    W2G Ron!! Way to stand up for yourself and what you believe in!!!