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- Jesse James is famous for having married and divorced Sandra Bullock.
- He’s been married five times and is also known for his “bad boy” persona.
- Jesse’s pregnant wife Bonnie Rotten just filed for divorce.
Jesse James, the famed ex of actress Sandra Bullock, has had a bit of a bumpy ride when it comes to relationships. While he seems to be best remembered for his brief relationship with The Lost City star, the Long Beach, California native has his own accomplishments. He’s known as the host of reality hits Jesse James Is a Dead Man on Spike TV and Monster Garage via the Discovery Channel. The documentary Motorcycle Mania, also on Discovery, centered around him.
But behind the camera, he’s struggled to find success in marriage and home life, cycling through several marriages since the early 1990s. As news breaks that his current wife, adult film star Bonnie Rotten filed for divorce amid cheating allegations, here’s what you need to know about the West Coast Choppers founder and TV personality’s past serious relationships.
Karla James
Jesse, now 53, was married to Karla James from 1991-2002, and together they welcomed two children — son Jesse James Jr., and daughter Chandler James. Little is known about the long-term marriage, which lasted 11 years, but Karla is said to be a British adult model.
Janine Lindemulder
The Discovery Channel star didn’t waste time moving on, marrying adult film actress, adult model, and former exotic dancer Janine Lindemulder in 2002. Janine and Jesse reportedly had a volatile relationship, and amid allegations of cheating and domestic violence, split in November of 2003. Janine was seven months pregnant with their daughter, Sunny, as Jesse allegedly moved into a relationship with America’s sweetheart herself, Sandra Bullock.
Sandra Bullock
Jesse reached new heights of fame as he first dated, then married, the While You Were Sleeping Star in 2005. As America scratched its collective head over the match, Sandra became a loving stepmom to Jesse’s three children from his past relationships. Publicly, she praised him and gushed over their family life. “Here’s the thing, I have children,” she said during a press conference in 2007, per Closer. “I married into children. I love those children. My concern and my love for those kids as a coparent is no less than if I had that child biologically. I don’t see the difference between that and having your own child biologically. I feel for the children I have in my life and I would not change that.”
Sandra and James had begun the process of adoption, but by the time things came together, cracks were starting to show. While Jesse had won custody of Sunny over Janine, who had challenged custody after spending time in prison for tax evasion, reports also began to emerge that Jesse was cheating on the stunning actress with model Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. Others came forward with alleged affairs after Michelle claimed she’d had an 11-month affair with Jesse.
The Blind Side actress filed for divorce from Jesse in late April 2010 and the split was finalized later that summer. She went ahead and adopted her eldest son Louis around the same time, sans Jesse.
Kat Von D
Goth makeup maven Kat Von D emerged as the TV personality’s next conquest. They reportedly began dating in August of 2010 and were engaged by January of 2011. Kat announced an abrupt split in July of 2011, per PEOPLE, but they reunited the following month. In a dizzying turn of events, in September of 2011, they split yet again, with Kat accusing him of cheating with nearly 20 women, per ABC News.
Alexis DeJoria
Drag racer Alexis DeJoria took up with the bad boy next, dating in late 2012 and marrying on March 24, 2014, at the sprawling estate of the bride’s father, billionaire and Paul Mitchell co-founder John Paul DeJoria. The duo lasted a surprising seven years together, but in 2020, they split. “I know a lot of you have been asking if I will be attending the NHRA races this year to work on Alexis’ funny car,” he wrote in part via Instagram. “It’s with an incredible amount of sadness to let you know Alexis and I have decided to end our marriage.”
Bonnie Rotten
Adult star Bonnie, 29, and Jesse began dating in 2021 and married in June of 2022, in a backyard ceremony in Texas, per Page Six. But things went wrong quickly in his fifth marriage. In early December, the seven months pregnant porn actress took to Instagram to accuse him of cheating on her. For his part, Jesse denied the allegations in a since-deleted message, according to InTouch, “Baby I didn’t cheat on you I swear!!” he wrote. “I’m sorry we got into a fight. I’m sorry I called you a ‘retard’ when we were fighting. I know that just made you more mad, and didn’t do anything to make the situation better. It was out of line and childish and immature. I’m sorry I did that. 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.”
Still, the marriage seemed to have run its course, as the adult actress filed for divorce not once, but twice per TMZ. She filed on Thursday, Dec 1, backtracked on the move, then filed again on Tuesday, Dec 6. “I love Jesse so much and was very hurt by what I saw when I went through his phone,” she wrote via Instagram at the time, per TMZ.
