Austin St. John, best known as Jason in the Power Rangers franchise, has walked back controversial plans to include quotes from Adolf Hitler and other totalitarian leaders in a line of T-shirts.
"For those of you who are concerned, there's no Hitler T-shirts. I have no plans to make any Hitler T-shirts," St. John said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter. "But you will find some incredible people."
This is what you’ve been waiting for! The new line drops NOW & is filled w/ amazing quotes from some truly inspirational historical people. Some might truly surprise you! Watch the video for more info. Purchase @ https://t.co/eo6ujLlEGx. #inspirational #historical #quotes pic.twitter.com/feNOkYaN86
— Austin St. John -ASJ (@ASJAustin) April 4, 2024
However, when he first revealed his plans during a February appearance on voice actor Jim Cummings' podcast, he said the line would include the Nazi leader and other infamous individuals.
"I'm going to have famous quotes from warriors of all ilks, including the terrible ones," he said. "Hitler was a demon on steroids but he had pretty great one-liners."
The Wise Leader Wear shirts feature each quote and its speaker in plain text on a plain background. Quoted individuals include Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Anne Frank. Frank, whose diary was widely published, was one of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.
The new online store opened on the same day St. John was officially announced as a guest for Power Morphicon in August. In the hours between the convention's announcement and the store's opening, some fans said on social media they intended to skip the convention. They were joined by Power Rangers SPD star Matt Austin, who said he'd have liked to return to Power Morphicon but "won't be [there] if ASJ is there."
I really wanted to make another appearance @PowerMorphicon this year. I won’t be if ASJ is there. https://t.co/O3jyV1pv1w
— Matt Austin-Sadowski (@mattyaustin) April 3, 2024
Rangerstop & Pop Con, scheduled to take place in Atlanta in June, had announced St. John as a guest in early March, after the Cummings interview was published but before it became a top discussion topic in the fandom and the subject of broader media coverage.
St. John is currently facing a federal indictment in an alleged scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program. St. John, whose legal name is Jason Geiger, allegedly obtained a $225,754 loan through the COVID-19 relief program. The funds were meant to be used to cover payroll, health benefits and utilities, but prosecutors allege he and other alleged co-conspirators used the money for personal purposes, including jewelry and vehicles. In a superseding indictment filed last September, prosecutors disclosed records of bank transactions among the defendants.
St. John has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison. A pretrial hearing is set to begin on May 12, with jury selection and a trial set to begin on May 20. Prosecutors, however, could seek an additional delay.
