Is that true? I remember him saying he was directly related. I have no idea, but thats what his marketing has stated.
This excerpt from wiki:
“Family and relationships[edit]
James’ Discovery Channel website states that his great-great-grandfather was the notorious outlaw’s cousin.[9] However, Eric James, president of the James Preservation Trust, which tracks claims of being a relative of the outlaw, says it cannot find a record of him in the family tree, and has asked him to provide a family genealogy and DNA sample for the Trust to review; he has not provided the requested information.[10][11][12]”