Austin St. John truly did say he was "building a warrior line of clothing" featuring "famous quotes from warriors … including the terrible ones" like Hitler, who "had some pretty good one-liners."
Austin St. John, the actor perhaps best known for playing Jason, the Red Power Ranger, in the original 1993 run of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," was back in the press in March 2024 when reports claimed that he was set to launch a line of clothing featuring quotes from Adolf Hitler.
As this surprising news circulated on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), many fans of the 1990s superhero series rushed to judgment.
""Hitler was a demon on steroids, but he had some pretty good one-liners""
byu/Kaneki_Yeager inBrandNewSentence
"The Red power ranger putting Hitler quotes on his clothing line is not something i had on my bingo card," wrote X user @DANNYonPC. Meanwhile, a post on Reddit titled "Boycott Austin St. John" implored Power Rangers fans to "stop supporting him" and to "please spread awareness of this matter."
As it turns out, the actor did say he was planning a T-shirt line with quotes from historical "warriors," including Hitler, so we rate this claim as "True."
To determine whether the former superhero truly intended to glorify the fascist dictator on an apparel line, Snopes looked to where the news originated.
St. John, 49, made an appearance on the Feb. 26, 2024, episode of the podcast "Toon'd In! with Jim Cummings," hosted by voice actor and frequent Disney collaborator Jim Cummings.
Around the 56:25 mark of the episode, St. John discussed his clothing line, which he said was available on his personal website:
I have some Ranger-oriented clothes. And then I'm building a warrior line where I will go back in history, from pre-Greek days as far back as I can. I'm gonna have famous quotes from warriors of all ilks including the terrible ones. Hitler was, you know, a demon on steroids, but he had some pretty good one-liners.
As St. John revealed this news, the hosts appeared to nod in agreement before their guest continued:
So, everybody from the great ones to the infamous and terrible ones. And I'm gonna have quotes and their languages put up in Japanese, English, Russian, Greek, whatever it was, and then in English and I'm gonna have some kanji and kana done and some various other artwork. But the point is to look to our past to leaders, both good and terrible, and take from them what you can.
On March 11, 2024, following the news of St. John's clothing line, actress Amy Jo Johnson, who co-starred alongside St. John as the Pink Power Ranger, posted on her X page that "some people should have publicists":
(Amy Jo Johnson/X)
St. John posted about his clothing line on his X account on March 12, 2024, writing that "from heroes to villains, every quote tells a story" and including a photo of the late Indian leader and nonviolent social reformer Mahatma Gandhi:
(@ASJAustin/X)
Snopes paid a visit to St. John's website, where he sells apparel and merchandise — including mugs, hats, collectible Power Ranger toys and autographed items — to see whether he was selling T-shirts emblazoned with quotes from Hitler. While an assortment of T-shirts inspired by St. John's Power Ranger past was available, the so-called warrior line featuring historical figures and their famous quotes did not appear to be up for sale, nor was there any apparel available linked to Hitler and his quotes.
So, while it's true that St. John announced he would be launching a range of clothing inspired by quotes written in different languages from famous "warriors," including Hitler, those items were not available as of this writing.
In recent years, there has been a an uptick in antisemitism, marked by a trend of individuals, including celebrities like Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), espousing beliefs that Hitler wasn't as reprehensible as history portrays. This resurgence manifests in various forms, from hate speech, intimidation, slurs and vandalism, to violent attacks targeting Jewish communities and institutions worldwide. The propagation of such sentiments often intertwines with conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial, which Snopes has previously reported on, and the glorification of Nazi ideology and symbols.
This trend not only poses a direct threat to Jewish people but also undermines the collective memory of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the imperative of combating intolerance and bigotry in all its forms.