Johnny Knoxville Reveals Where The Iconic Jackass Intro Came From
Film and television have homed a number of iconic quotes that have stood the test of time. That being said, no one could've anticipated "I'm Johnny Knoxville and welcome to 'Jackass'" getting stuck in the public's consciousness as much as the likes of, "I'll be back," "do you feel lucky, punk?" or even "Bond, James Bond." The cue to introduce everyone's favorite self-destructive group of friends hit the airwaves in 2000 and has been said through their long-running TV show to the box-office hits that followed.
Simple and effective, the welcome from Knoxville became a staple of the "Jackass" world, often preceding some of the show's most memorable and dangerous stunts. But how did a polite salutation before staring down a bull or getting shot with a paintball gun come to pass? As revealed by the leader of the pack that are a nightmare for paramedics, it was a creative choice that, like so much else in "Jackass," was a joint effort.
Johnny Knoxville's classic line came from himself and Spike Jonze
In an interview with Fox 5 Washington, D.C. (via YouTube), in anticipation of the group's seemingly final film of highs and lows, "Jackass Forever," Johnny Knoxville went into the history of the legendary greeting and revealed that it came to fruition at the start of their bone-shattering enterprise.
In 1996, Knoxville did a stunt video for skateboard magazine Big Brother, which at the time was being edited by soon-to-be "Jackass" producer Jeff Tremaine. The video had Knoxville using self-defense weapons on himself, beginning the recording in the only way he could think of. "When I first did the first thing I shot for the Big Brother video on self-defense weapons, I just introduced myself 'hello, I'm Johnny Knoxville, United States of America.'"
This basic intro that led to a brutal viewing experience was a choice that Knoxville's friend — actor, director, and "Jackass" producer Spike Jonze — deemed starting point to stick by. The team's frontman added, "I think it was Spike [Jonze] who said, 'I think you should introduce yourself that way every time.' I'm like, 'alright.'" The rest, as they say, is history and medical bills. An affirmation and a welcome became cemented in popular culture, as did the classic theme that followed it that you can now probably hear in your head. Twenty-two years on, though, Knoxville's most famous line gained a higher notoriety status, reaching that few can only claim — it became meme-worthy.
Knoxville's opener was immortalized as a meme
Contrary to what some may think, Twitter isn't all doom, gloom and bad comic book movie takes — sometimes memes get through that are worth a scroll or 50. Thankfully, the synonymous salute by Knoxville made the cut, with fans, and even companies, using it in the best ways possible.
Social media users have offered their own versions of Johnny Knoxville's catchphrase, from the dangerously daring like @OhMyEmz with "hi I'm johnny knoxville and I'm about to eat a full tub of ice cream with lactose intolerance and ibs," to ones that spelled only trouble like @cacmrg and "hi, i'm johnny knoxville and this is me opening all adobe programs at the same time." Spiking in notoriety during the release of "Jackass Forever," (via ComicBook.com), the meme from the mind of Knoxville was even embraced by beloved fast-food chains, as the official Wendy's Twitter account threw in their classic mash-up of, "'hi, i'm johnny knoxville and...,' 'Sir, this is a Wendy's.'" Hey, if it ain't broke, chances are the Jackass boys haven't done the stunt yet.