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Actor Jon Bernthal says “dog racism” is the reason for public stigma against pit bulls.
During a recent appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” the “Punisher,” “Spider-Man” and “Daredevil” star, 49, suggested that the bad reputation of the breed was the same as judging human beings based on their race or sexuality.
“My dogs are the greatest, and they’re honest. So the myth of the pit bull is a lot of bulls–t. People got to stop that. Pit bulls don’t attack,” he said.
“It’s just racism. It’s just dog racism,” he added. “I think to be afraid of a breed of dog is completely ridiculous. It’s like being afraid of somebody for their race or their sexual orientation.”
Pit bulls were responsible for more than three-quarters of fatal dog attacks on humans in the US and Canada in 2025, according to data collected from Animals 24-7.
Of the record 84 fatal dog attacks on humans in 2025, 64 of them are believed to involve pit bulls, figures show.
Nearly 29,000 fatal dog attacks on other animals were recorded on average in the last 13 years, with about 89% of those doing the attacking being pit bulls, according to Animals 24-7, whose authors advocate for legislation limiting certain breeds.
The federal government stopped reporting the dog breeds behind fatal attacks decades ago because it found the reports identifying the breed of dog involved to be unreliable.
But Bernthal pointed to the fact that pit bulls are not the most likely breed to bite humans, and blamed bad owners for the behavior.
“If a pit bull bites you, it kind of sucks. But they’re no more likely to bite you than a Chihuahua or any other breed of dog,” he said. “I think that it probably has more to do with who owns them and how they were trained.”
Bernthal admitted that many people buy pit bulls to project a tough-guy image.
“I think that a lot of knuckleheads, unfortunately, are attracted to that breed of dog. When I see some wannabe gangster getting pulled down Venice Beach by his pit bull, to me that’s not manly or strong at all,” he said.
Representatives for Bernthal did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
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