The One Jackass Stunt Johnny Knoxville Thinks Went Too Far
MTV is no stranger to wild and outrageous stunts. "Ridiculousness" regularly airs absurd, insane, and, sometimes, gross stunts. However, this comes as no surprise as this is the network that is the original home to the "Jackass" franchise. The franchise began with the "Jackass" TV show first hitting the airwaves back in 2000 and lasting until 2002. The show saw the cast perform stunts in public and on each other, the original cast consisted of nine members, including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius.
Following the TV show, a whole series of films were released over the next two decades. The franchise includes "Jackass: The Movie," "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa," and, most recently, 2022's "Jackass Forever." Over the course of the franchise, its stars have showcased numerous outrageous stunts, including the branding of someone's posterior, someone being dropped into a pit of snakes, and a used port-a-potty being launched into the air with a poor victim inside.
While these oftentimes lighthearted stunts and their insanity make up the core of the franchise, that doesn't mean they aren't without their faults. Some have arguably aged poorly over time. And in an interview with Vulture, Knoxville revealed that there is one specific "Jackass" stunt that he regrets.
Steve-O and the sharks should have been a no-go
Knoxville revealed to Vulture that there is a stunt in "Jackass Number Two" that he regrets overseeing. The stunt in question was the "fishhook," which saw Steve-O put a real fish hook through his cheek attached to a fishing pole. He then proceeded to jump into the ocean, still attached to the fishing pole, where there were many sharks swimming around. He was given no protective equipment, he was just in the open water with the sharks. Usually, "Jackass" stunts have comedic value, but this one is just kind of hard to watch.
Knoxville shared a similar sentiment describing his remorse over the stunt, telling Vulture that he had reservations about the scene when speaking with the director, "I remember talking to Jeff [Tremaine] when he told me the idea of the fishhook and casting Steve-O out to sea. I wasn't fond of that idea." He continued, explaining his exact issue with the scene in that the only comedic payoff would be if Steve-O was ultimately bit by a shark, which is obviously dangerous. "I thought that the only way that footage was usable is if it ended with Steve-O getting bit by a shark, but why would we do that? I didn't think it was funny. I don't want him missing a leg," Knoxville added.
There was, thankfully, some kind of payoff to the stunt. "We still shot it and Steve-O kicked the shark in the nose before it bit him," Knoxville said. "Now that's funny." At least, in the end, no sharks were hurt in the process and the most Steve-O had to suffer was a hook to the cheek.