Jesse James Claims He Was Abused By His Father

By PopEater Staff Posted May 26th 2010 07:13AM

Jesse James saved the worst for last in his first interview since his marriage to Sandra Bullock fell apart, telling ABC's 'Nightline' that he was the victim of abuse as a child. "I was a terrorized kid," he said. The former reality star said he entered rehab earlier this year for sex addiction and anger management, but mostly needed to deal with his childhood, which he claims was filled with beatings at the hands of his father. He told ABC's Vicki Mabrey that memories of the alleged abuse influenced his self-destructive decisions.

"I grew up with a huge amount of shame and fear and abandonment on my shoulders from a very young age, and I think, you know, the way my mind rationalized [cheating], 'Well, you know, I might as well do whatever I can to like run her off cause she is going to find out what I am anyway and leave me anyway,'" James said.

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He said all his cheating stemmed from his "emotional shortcomings," as ABC put it.

"The struggle within myself for the things that I did ... to damage marriage and my life and everything else, it's all me," James said. "I'm doing it because, you know, I've basically never felt good enough for anyone."

James said he went into rehab with a "bit of an ego," but after a few days, "I realized, 'Wow, I'm kind of more messed up than most of the people here.' It was like peeling an onion. Every day it was a new revelation about myself and the things I've been doing," he said. "I cried more in rehab in the last 30 days than I have in my whole life. No BS. That's the truth."

After talking with counselors about his memories of abuse, he began to realize its impact on him.

"Bike builder, 'Monster Garage' TV star, all that stuff is a huge smokescreen so that people won't see that I'm a scared, abused kid, a seven-year-old," James said. "He beat my ass pretty good a bunch of times ... I just remember, like, clinched teeth, strained-neck look on his face," James said. "My whole childhood, I never had a chance to be a kid. ... I was always scared."

James' father, Larry James, strongly denied the allegations of abuse in an e-mail to ABC.

James said he "knew it was horrible" to cheat on Bullock but continued to do so out of desire to derail his life because things were too good.

"It made me feel horrible," James said of the infidelities. "And I knew I would get caught eventually, and I think I wanted to get caught. I don't think, I know for a fact now what it was. It was me trying to self-sabotage my life."

He went on to say he doesn't believe he has a sex addiction in the sense that he was out trying to find any sexual partner. The infidelities, he said, were just one piece of his dysfunctional life.

"I think I do things to sabotage my life, including having extramarital affairs, texting, overworking myself, injuring myself, doing stunts and stupid things. I think I do a lot of things in my life that I shouldn't be doing that aren't conducive to being a perfect husband, you know, and the affairs are just one of them."

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Sandra Bullock Snapshots

©BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM Jesse James and his daughter Chandler return from a trip to the Southern United States. Was Jesse there to finalize his divorce, or were Jesse and Chandler visiting Sandra Bullock and her adopted baby Louis Bardo? EXCLUSIVE May 13, 2010 Job: 100513NB2 Los Angeles, California www.bauergriffin.com www.bauergriffinonline.com

CHRIS/bauergriffinonline.com

Sandra Bullock Snapshots

In this publicity image released by ABC, correspondent Vicky Mabrey, left, is shown with Jesse James, husband of actress Sandra Bullock during an interview for "Nightline," on Wednesday May 12, 2010 in Long Beach, Calif. The interview will air on Tuesday, May 25, at 11:35 p.m. EST on ABC. (AP Photo/ABC, Patrick Wymore)

Sandra Bullock Snapshots

Sandra and Jesse Snapshots

Sandra Bullock Snapshots

Tags: jesse james, nightline, sandra bullock

Comments

(421)

Wednesday 26 May

By DJ

Vote down Vote up Report this

What is up with excuses? Blame it on your past. Give me us a brake. A lot of us had A very hard and bad child life but life goes on. You have no excuse. It's time you be a man. You require alot of sex because you were abused by your Dad. What a loser excuse. Wake up and join the real word.

By Tia

Wednesday 26 May
By Dee
You people confuse reasons with excuses. I think he is redeemable

YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD ROUGH CHILDHOODS AND GUESS WHAT THEY LIVE NORMAL LIVES. THIS CLOWN SHOULD IS TRYING TO BLAME EVERYONE BUT HIMSELF. HE CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT ...END OF STORY. HIS LIFE WAS TOO GOOD - CUT ME A BREAK. SEX ADDICTION - CUT ME A BREAK. CHEATING CLOWN - MORE LIKE IT. EVERYBODY'S FAULT BUT HIS OWN. I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYBODY WOULD BUY THIS CRAP.

By Amy

OMG...here we go again...I was abused as a child and THAT is why I am a cheating, lying creep.... SO SO SO sick of this nonsense...MAN UP ALREADY FELLAS!!!! You (Jesse and the rest of the cheaters out there) cheat because you want to...it FEELS GOOD... then when you get caught you want to blame it on a bad childhood, I'm a sex addict, blah blah blah... Just GROW UP!

By Ann

Lame...he is a big looser !! go and make yourself a better person if yo can...What a Jerk !! why is he getting all this T.V time??? Unreal

By hayseed

Another Hollywood B.S. sob story. Wake up your spoiled arrogant turkeys and take a look at the problems the rest of the world deals with every day! This guy, as most actors, would die of culture shock withing 1 hour if they had to live the way most of their fans consider normal.

By richard

Stop blaming others for your actions, you cheated and those sleazebags turned you in. If that "Bombshell Broad" didn't go public with the affair, you would still be cheating.

By Jeannie Taylor

I was emotionally abused when I was a kid and as a teenager. How does anyone know that Jesse James was not abused? Are you a mind reader? I am sure that Jesse is sorry for what he did.

By rose

Oh please...........cry me a river! We've all had past problems but now we're adults.....grow the heck up! It's no excuse.

By Doc

Jess cheated because he liked the sensation of sex...period. When white people gfet busted they usually bring up some past childhood truma as the cause of their issues. He wne to a "sex clinic" because its part of the scam to convince people that he has an "affliction" that caused him to chase tail. After being "rehabilitated" he can achieve forgiveness from the public and reenter society as a "victim". folks fall for that crap all the time. Oh, and I don't buy that 'I wanted to get caught" crap for a second. He'been vilified by the entire nation as he simply (no person) can handle that.

By Guido

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

The best thing he can do is shut the heXX up and build a motorcycle.

By rstaiconsulting

Jesse ... to blame YOUR infidelity on past alleged abuse is nothing short of being a coward. You are responsible for your own behavior ... PERIOD.

By gentruloc

He is telling the truth(if you have ever been there),unfortunately,he should have gotten help long ago.Everyone he's ever been with has paid the price.

By CB

Here we go again. Having to hear it's always the parents' faults for one's failures as an adult. At some point between age 21 and almost one's 40's + when is it too soon to say, "hey I can choose to do this or that; or not"?? Presumably we are no longer with Mommy and Daddy and can actually make our own decisions, hopefully for the better. These men...always crying, always victims. Oh please.

By bren

Nobody knows this man or what hes been through! Im sure Sandra has done things wrong in her life to.Im not excuseing what he did im just saying everybody makes mistakes!Hang in there Jesse and try to move foward with your life!

By Donna

Almost everyone over the age of 40, was beat by mom or dad. Back in that day, people minded their own business, when it came to other peoples children. I was abused phyically, and mentally.
But I dont cheat, I dont lie, I dont mess up other peoples life.
Jessie should by now, understand that his troubles, do not excuse bad behavoir. If he didnt tell Sandra about his child hood, he should have. Growing up in a home like this, she should have known all about it before they were married.

Thursday 27 May

By Betty

I've heard it all now. Why did the jerk not get help years ago? Instead he screwed everyone he could find, literally.

By PCEnemy

WHITE TRASH - nothing more, nothing less

I think Sandra needs to check into rehab for help choosing a decent husband. He looks and acts like a weirdo...why would she fall for a creep like him in the first place???

By debbie

Well boo hoo, Jesse!
You know the old saying, about what men use to think with and it ain't their brains.
You got, Busted!!!!

By exoticdoc2

Typical of a loser cheater, they make one excuse after another. I repeat, he will do it again if given opportunity.

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