Anecdotes

In late November, 2015, frequent adult film co-star and ex-girlfriend, Stoya, accused him of raping her while on set. Soon after, another ex-girlfriend and adult film collaborator, Joanna Angel, came forward and also accused him of being a rapist. After that, over a dozen adult film female stars who have worked with him have accused him of rape. He has since then been dubbed 'The Bill Cosby of Porn'.

His date of birth is the day before that of James Dean, his famous namesake.

James's paternal grandfather, Stanley Sevilla, was born in Ohio, to Dienna and Isadore Sevilla, who were Sephardi Jewish immigrants from Istanbul, Turkey. James's paternal grandmother, Lois Howell, had English, Scottish, and German ancestry. Lois was also born in Ohio, to Thomas William Howell and Ruth Mary Hirst. Lois's own mother (James's great-grandmother) was born in South Africa, to American parents. James's mother's family is Ashkenazi Jewish.

At the age of 12, James was first called "James Deen" due to the way he smoked.

His female teenage fans call themselves "Deenagers".