What Has Steve-O Been Up To Since Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa?
No entry in the "Jackass" series seems complete without Stephen "Steve-O" Glover. He has been a recurring face since the legendary stunt-comedy franchise merely existed as a television show on MTV. On top of that, he has been a major part of every mainline "Jackass" film, as well as the in-between films that were released in the wake of "Jackass 2" and "Jackass 3D." Following 2011's "Jackass 3.5," however, Steve-O was not present in the 2013 spinoff film starring Johnny Knoxville, "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa."
That's not to say that Steve-O hasn't been busy in the years between then and the franchise's newest entry, "Jackass Forever." Actually, Steve-O has been up to a lot since the "Jackass" was last seen in theaters. In the new digital age, Steve-O has found considerable success in several avenues outside of the series that made him famous ... though, as "Jackass Forever" proves, he's still willing to go above and beyond for a hilarious, gross, or otherwise outrageous stunt.
Steve-O's rise as an internet star
It's fair to say that one of Steve-O's most successful endeavors has been his career as an online influencer. Steve-O Has always been fond of taping himself, and he has videos of himself and his friends skateboarding and performing stunts dating all the way back to his teens. This era laid the foundation for his career on "Jackass," and it would also be a habit that continued well into the digital age when viral videos could become a source of income for their creators.
For Steve-O, his internet fame began small with the creation of his YouTube channel in 2005, where he eventually began vlogging stories about his craziest stunts, his experiences with drug addiction and recovery, as well as his life as a celebrity. It's unknown when exactly Steve-O's YouTube career began to take off, but by 2015 his channel had almost 3 million subscribers (via Tackalytics). As of February 2021, the channel has amassed over 6 million subscribers, and according to his official website, his combined social media accounts have over 24 million subscribers.
Of course, he still performs new stunts for the delight of his online fanbase, such as performing a double wallride with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. In addition to his main YouTube channel, Steve-O also hosts his own podcast, "Steve-O's Wilde Ride!" in which he interviews various celebrity guests.
Steve-O's comedy career
On top of entertaining millions through his YouTube channel, Steve-O has also made a name for himself in the standup comedy circuit. He released his first special, "Guilty as Charged," in 2016. However, his origins in standup date back years before that. According to a now-archived interview he performed with the comedy digital radio station Barry, Steve-O got the inspiration to do standup after somebody invited him onstage at a popular comedy club in Los Angeles.
"When I got to that comedy club I looked around and it occurred to me that the craziest thing I could possibly do by far would be to try stand-up comedy," Steve-O said. "Like, that was genuinely the most terrifying, outlandish, just crazy thing that I could do."
Since then, Steve-O has honed his standup skills and released one other special. In 2020, he independently released the multimedia stand-up special, "Gnarly," (for which he taped himself to a billboard in a promotional stunt) which features him performing standup bits interspersed with footage of him performing various stunts. Additionally, Steve-O is in the midst of his most recent comedy tour, "The Bucket List Tour," which is set to continue through February 27.
Steve-O has advocated for animal rights
One thing you might not expect from Steve-O is a passion for animal rights. However, Steve-O is actually an avid advocate for our furry friends. In 2012, he provided the voice over for "What Came Before, featuring Steve-O: The Truth About Meat and Modern Farms," a short film dedicated to animal rights made by the advocacy group, Farm Sanctuary. But that's only the least of Steve-O's dedication to the cause.
In 2015, Steve-O filmed himself performing a rather dangerous stunt in order to raise awareness against the treatment of animals held at SeaWorld. Whilst live-streaming the act on his Facebook page, Steve-O free-climbed to the top of a 100ft crane and shot fireworks. He also inflated a plastic doll of an orca, and he dropped it from the top of the crane. Steve-O was later arrested for the stunt, and he was sentenced to 30 days in jail with 36 months of probation (via KTLA). Jail time was imperative for Steve-O to make his point, later writing that "if your goal is to make a statement about captivity, you may as well get yourself locked up." However, he ended up serving less than eight hours of his sentence.
That's not even the first time Steve-O has done something similar. In 2014, he climbed to the top of a freeway sign in California and changed the directions to SeaWorld to "SeaWorld Sucks" (via TMZ). Unlike his crane stunt, however, Steve-O did not go to jail for this.
Steve-O is a self-made success
Throughout these years of online fame, Steve-O has also done a pretty good job at promoting himself and his brand. He has a wide range of merchandise on his website, from his own brand of hot sauce, to custom skateboard decks, and autographed copies of his mugshot. He cross-promotes himself on his various platforms, spreading the word about things like his standup routine and the upcoming "Jackass Forever" to those who enjoy his YouTube videos.
Thanks to all of this, Steve-O has made a real name for himself outside of being a "Jackass" cast member. He may still be known for performing potentially damaging feats that would make most people cringe, but he has transformed it into a more legitimate brand than it was in the 2000's. Thanks to that, Steve-O, who was once a compulsively self-destructive drug addict, is now a New York Times best-selling author, a standup comedian, and a successful businessman. In many ways, his is a true rags-to-riches story, one that continues (along with his "Jackass" cohorts) as he does more acts of supreme foolishness for the audience's enjoyment in "Jackass Forever."