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.