WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.379 Welcome back to the deep dive. Today we are strapping 00:00:03.379 --> 00:00:05.500 ourselves in really. We're diving into someone 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:07.839 who's built a whole career, maybe even an empire, 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:12.419 out of... Well, chaos, controlled chaos, perhaps. 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:13.960 That's a great way to put it. We're talking about 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:15.839 Philip John Clapp. Yeah. You almost certainly 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:17.980 know him as Johnny Knoxville. Right, Johnny Knoxville. 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:20.399 And our mission today, looking through all this 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:22.980 source material, is to figure out how this guy 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:25.059 went from, you know, filming himself getting 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:28.899 tased for a skateboarding magazine to becoming 00:00:28.899 --> 00:00:32.079 this multimedia force, a producer, a writer, 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:34.640 a legitimate actor running production companies. 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:38.210 It's a fascinating trajectory. Because the sources 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:40.390 really lay out this paradox. You've got the on 00:00:40.390 --> 00:00:42.929 -screen persona, pure jackass mayhem, right? 00:00:43.109 --> 00:00:45.350 Yeah. But behind that, there's this incredibly 00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:47.630 sharp business mind. Exactly. That's what we 00:00:47.630 --> 00:00:49.409 want to unpack. How did the architect of all 00:00:49.409 --> 00:00:52.310 that physical failure build such a lasting structure 00:00:52.310 --> 00:00:54.609 in Hollywood? And the source material is pretty 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:56.530 clear on his identity. We're talking Philip John 00:00:56.530 --> 00:01:00.130 Clapp, born March 11, 1971. He's from Knoxville, 00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:01.890 Tennessee, hence the name, I guess. Makes sense. 00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:05.829 And that means, as of today... October 2nd, 2025, 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:10.030 he's 54 years old. 54? And that age feels significant 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:11.670 now, doesn't it? Especially when you look at 00:01:11.670 --> 00:01:13.670 some of his more recent ventures. Absolutely. 00:01:13.849 --> 00:01:16.370 It perhaps signals a shift, or at least an expansion, 00:01:16.390 --> 00:01:19.109 beyond just the stunts. But his core identity, 00:01:19.329 --> 00:01:21.769 the one everyone knows, is co -creator and star 00:01:21.769 --> 00:01:26.209 of Jackass. Started on MTV in 2000 -2001, then 00:01:26.209 --> 00:01:30.069 the movies. Jackass. The movie. Number two. 3D. 00:01:31.030 --> 00:01:34.189 forever in 2022. He's a stunt performer, actor, 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:36.390 producer, screenwriter, quite the list. Quite 00:01:36.390 --> 00:01:38.469 the list indeed. Okay, so let's go back. Where 00:01:38.469 --> 00:01:40.150 does this all start? Knoxville, Tennessee, you 00:01:40.150 --> 00:01:41.969 said. What were his origins like? Anything that 00:01:41.969 --> 00:01:45.370 hinted at? Well, jackass. Honestly, not really. 00:01:45.450 --> 00:01:47.390 Not in the way you might think. The sources paint 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:49.810 a picture of a pretty normal Southern upbringing. 00:01:50.049 --> 00:01:52.590 His dad, Philip Clapp, was a car and tire salesman, 00:01:52.650 --> 00:01:55.750 passed away in 2018. His mom, Lemoyne, she was 00:01:55.750 --> 00:01:57.390 a Sunday school teacher. She passed in 2017. 00:01:57.609 --> 00:01:59.430 He also has two older sisters. It sounds very 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:01.689 stable. Stable isn't the first word that comes 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:03.730 to mind with Johnny Knoxville. So where did the 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:06.450 performance bug come from? The desire to put 00:02:06.450 --> 00:02:08.930 himself out there? Well, the sources point to 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:11.330 a specific influence. And it's a bit unexpected. 00:02:11.909 --> 00:02:15.449 It was his cousin, Roger Allen Wade. Oh, the 00:02:15.449 --> 00:02:17.710 singer -songwriter. That's the one. Apparently, 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:19.789 Wade gave him a copy of Jack Kerouac's On the 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:23.689 Road. And Knoxville himself credits that book, 00:02:23.849 --> 00:02:26.909 that Beat Generation classic, with sparking his 00:02:26.909 --> 00:02:29.509 interest in acting and exploring and maybe doing 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:33.129 something different. On the Road leading to Jackass. 00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:35.909 That's quite a connection. Okay, so he gets the 00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:38.599 acting bug. What happens next? High school. Yeah. 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:41.180 Attended South Young High School. And get this. 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.319 He was actually athletic. Played baseball. No 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:47.120 kidding. Yep. He was a pitcher. Got an all -Knoxville 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:49.460 Interscholastic League honorable mention. Even 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:51.800 played in an All -Star game. So there was structure 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:55.759 there. Discipline, maybe. Huh. Pitcher. Interesting. 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:59.300 Then California. That was the dream. Right after 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:02.099 high school, 1989, he heads west to make it as 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:04.120 an actor. Did the whole struggling actor thing, 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:06.240 commercials, background roles, you know the drill. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.240 Standard Hollywood story so far. But here's a 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:10.659 great little nugget from the sources. In 1992, 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:13.759 he actually worked on Francis Ford Coppola's 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:17.099 Bram Stoker's Dracula. Wow, Coppola, what did 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:19.759 he do? He was Keanu Reeves' stand -in. Keanu's 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:21.819 stand -in, that's amazing. So he's on these big 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:24.840 sets, he's in the mix, but the big acting roles 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.280 aren't landing. Seems that way. The sources suggest 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:30.300 that the traditional path just wasn't opening 00:03:30.300 --> 00:03:33.259 up for him. And this, this is the critical moment, 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.780 the pivot. Right. This is where it shifts. Instead 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:37.319 of waiting for someone else to give him a shot, 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:39.560 he decides, OK, I'll create my own shot. He starts 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:42.039 writing article ideas and pitching them to magazines, 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:45.360 basically creating his own content. Smart, proactive. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.139 What kind of ideas? The one that stuck, the one 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:50.580 that changed everything was pretty out there. 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:53.580 He pitched the idea of testing self -defense 00:03:53.580 --> 00:03:56.680 equipment. On himself. On himself. Like stun 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.319 guns, pepper spray. Exactly. That kind of thing. 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:02.479 And this idea, this absolutely bonkers idea, 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:05.800 lands on the desk of Jeff Tremaine. Who was editing 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:07.800 Big Brother magazine at the time, the skateboarding 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.539 magazine. Precisely. And Big Brother had this 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.539 edgy counterculture vibe. Tremaine loved it. 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:15.560 He didn't just want the article. He wanted to 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.839 film these tests. Ah, so the filming starts there. 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:22.279 Yes. Those stunts, Knoxville willingly taking 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:25.300 hits from self -defense gear, were filmed and 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:28.180 put into the Big Brother No. 2 video. That footage. 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:31.660 That's the bedrock, the absolute foundation stone 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:34.300 for what became Jackass. So it all spirals out 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:36.980 of that one magazine pitch. Incredible. But it 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:38.860 wasn't just Knoxville's stuff, right? There was 00:04:38.860 --> 00:04:41.379 another element involved in creating the Jackass 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:43.680 pilot. Correct. Tremaine was smart. He saw the 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:45.819 potential in Knoxville's self -abuse footage, 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.160 but he also knew about another sort of... homegrown 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:52.139 phenomenon happening on the East Coast. You're 00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:54.819 talking about Bam Margera. Exactly. Bam Margera 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:56.980 and his crew in Pennsylvania were making these 00:04:56.980 --> 00:05:00.339 lo -fi chaotic videos called the CKY videos. 00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:03.600 Camp Kill Yourself. Right. Lots of skating, pranks, 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:06.019 hitting his dad, that kind of thing. Yeah. That 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:08.939 mix of stunts, family pranks, just general mayhem. 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:11.160 Yeah. Tremaine saw a kinship between Knoxville 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.160 stuff and the CKY videos. If you brought them 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:15.949 together. edited this footage into a pilot. And 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:17.589 that became the pitch reel. That was the pitch 00:05:17.589 --> 00:05:19.569 reel. He took Knoxville's Big Brother segments, 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:22.189 banned CKY footage, added some other like -minded 00:05:22.189 --> 00:05:24.610 individuals, and that was the package. And they 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:26.149 needed someone to help sell it, right? That's 00:05:26.149 --> 00:05:27.970 where Spike Jonze comes in. Yeah, Spike Jonze, 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:30.170 the director, was friends with Tremaine. He had 00:05:30.170 --> 00:05:31.810 the Hollywood connections. He helped them shop 00:05:31.810 --> 00:05:35.870 this very unconventional pilot around. And MTV 00:05:35.870 --> 00:05:39.290 bit. MTV bit hard. It was exactly the kind of 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:42.069 provocative, youth -oriented content they were 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:45.129 looking for around the year 2000. But here's 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:47.709 where it gets really interesting from a strategy 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:50.250 perspective. Okay. Before the show even aired 00:05:50.250 --> 00:05:53.879 on MTV, they got another offer, a huge one. Which 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.139 was? Saturday Night Live. SNL wanted them to 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:59.699 perform stunts as a recurring weekly segment 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:02.759 on the show. Wow. SNL, that's the big leagues 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:04.980 for comedy. Did they do it? They turned it down. 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:08.519 They turned down SNL. Why? Think about it. SNL 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.019 means Network Standards Restrictions Oversight. 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:13.879 Jackass was built on total freedom, on pushing 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:16.180 boundaries way past what network TV would allow. 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:18.680 Ah, I see. They knew their brand needed that 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:22.180 raw, unfiltered edge. Exactly. They chose creative 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:24.899 control and authenticity over the immediate mainstream 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:28.480 prestige of SNL, which in hindsight was probably 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:30.680 a genius move for building the jackass identity. 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.259 Absolutely. Keep it pure. Though ironically, 00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:35.699 Knoxville did end up hosting SNL later, right? 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:39.139 In 2005. He did. But on his own terms, as an 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:41.759 established star, not as a weekly stunt segment. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:43.939 It shows he could play the game eventually, but 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:47.279 he protected the core brand first. Smart. Okay, 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:49.660 so the MTV show is a hit, albeit short -lived. 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:52.399 Then comes the movie empire. Yeah, the films 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.540 really cemented the phenomena. Jackass. The movie 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:58.420 in 2002 was massive. The number two in 2006, 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.360 3D in 2010. They kept finding ways to escalate 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.060 the stunts and keep audiences hooked. And forever 00:07:05.060 --> 00:07:07.839 in 2022, which felt like maybe a passing of the 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.319 torch, but still very much centered on him. Right, 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:12.439 but it wasn't just about stringing stunts together, 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:14.759 especially later on. There was an evolution. 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.759 You mean with Irving Zisman, the old man character? 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:20.500 Precisely. The sources really highlight Jackass' 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.759 presence. Bad Grandpa in 2013. That was different. 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:26.480 It wasn't just dunce. It had a narrative. Knoxville, 00:07:26.540 --> 00:07:29.259 buried under incredible makeup, played Irving 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:31.839 on a road trip with his grandson. The pranks 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:33.500 happened within that story framework. And that 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:35.660 movie was huge, right? It reached a broader audience? 00:07:35.899 --> 00:07:38.519 It did. And here's maybe the most unexpected 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:42.060 validation of the whole thing. Bad Grandpa got 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:44.920 an Academy Award nomination. An Oscar nomination 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.420 for jackass. For best makeup and hairstyling. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:52.399 But still, an Oscar nod for a movie featuring 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.899 hidden camera pranks and, well, some very questionable 00:07:55.899 --> 00:07:58.519 behavior from Irving Zisman. That's incredible. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.079 It speaks volumes about the technical skill involved 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:03.939 underneath the chaos. Totally. It showed they 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:06.490 weren't just messing around. There was real craft 00:08:06.490 --> 00:08:08.290 there, especially in creating that character. 00:08:08.470 --> 00:08:11.529 It solidified Knoxville as not just a stunt guy, 00:08:11.589 --> 00:08:13.930 but a character actor, a producer overseeing 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:16.449 quality. And beyond the main films, there were 00:08:16.449 --> 00:08:20.829 the .5 releases, like Jackass 2 .5, 3 .5, 4 .5, 00:08:20.829 --> 00:08:22.870 using leftover footage, keeping the brand alive 00:08:22.870 --> 00:08:25.810 between major installments, plus other stuff 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:28.449 like the Gumball 3000 rally participation. Yeah, 00:08:28.470 --> 00:08:30.990 he stayed very involved in that world. But here's 00:08:30.990 --> 00:08:33.159 the other track we need to follow. The one wedding 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.519 parallel to Jackass the whole time. His legitimate 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:38.179 acting career. Exactly. And this wasn't just 00:08:38.179 --> 00:08:40.200 an afterthought. He was pursuing serious roles 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:42.460 right from the start, almost immediately after 00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:44.740 the first Jackass movie exploded. Like Men in 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:47.759 Black 2 in 2002. He played that two -headed alien, 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.200 Scrad and Charlie. That was a massive blockbuster. 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:55.639 Huge. Going from MTV cult figure to a role in 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:59.200 a Will Smith sequel. That's fast. Then in 2004, 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:01.360 he's co -starring with The Rock in Walking Tall. 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:04.059 Okay, so big studio action films. But he didn't 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.720 just stick to blockbusters, did he? No. And this 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:09.720 shows his range, or at least his ambition. He 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:11.519 worked with the legendary cult director John 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:15.220 Waters in 2004 on A Dirty Shame. That's a very 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:16.759 different world for Men in Black. Definitely. 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:19.379 John Waters is unique. And then 2005 was a big 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:21.600 year for him acting -wise, too, wasn't it? Huge. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:24.320 He played Luke Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard movie. 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:27.919 Pure mainstream comedy fare. Right. The orange 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:30.539 car, the whole thing. But in the same year, he 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:33.539 starred in The Ringer. And that was a very different 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:35.519 kind of movie. The Ringer. Okay. Refresh my memory 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:37.200 on that one. That was the one with the controversial 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:39.860 premise. Extremely controversial. He plays Steve 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:43.279 Barker, this regular guy who pretends to have 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.539 an intellectual disability. He calls himself 00:09:45.539 --> 00:09:47.879 Jeffy so he can compete in the Special Olympics. 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:50.200 Oh, right. To win money to help his friend, I 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:53.000 think. Yeah. To pay for surgery for the office 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.110 janitor who lost his fingers. It's a really dark, 00:09:56.149 --> 00:09:59.210 tricky premise, trying to mine comedy and heart 00:09:59.210 --> 00:10:00.990 out of something that could easily be incredibly 00:10:00.990 --> 00:10:03.450 offensive. It takes some serious acting chops 00:10:03.450 --> 00:10:06.009 to even attempt, let alone pull off without disaster. 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:08.889 It really does. It showed he was willing to tackle 00:10:08.889 --> 00:10:13.470 complex, risky roles, not just play variations 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:16.389 of himself or do straightforward action. He also 00:10:16.389 --> 00:10:19.350 had a cool cameo as a sleazy corporate type in 00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:21.830 Lords of Dogtown that same year. So he's building 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:24.190 this diverse acting resume. Did that continue? 00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:27.149 Absolutely. He kept working steadily, popped 00:10:27.149 --> 00:10:29.149 up in The Last Stand with Schwarzenegger in 2013, 00:10:29.570 --> 00:10:31.769 co -starred with Jackie Chan and Skip Trace in 00:10:31.769 --> 00:10:34.529 2016. Not always lead roles, but consistent work 00:10:34.529 --> 00:10:36.929 in major films. And more recently, he did TV 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:39.509 series work too, right? Yes, significantly. He 00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:42.370 was part of the main cast of that Hulu show Reboot 00:10:42.370 --> 00:10:45.570 in 2022. Played Clay Barber, a comedian trying 00:10:45.570 --> 00:10:47.549 to get his career back on track. A sustained 00:10:47.549 --> 00:10:49.710 role in a well -regarded series that shows real 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:51.769 commitment to acting as a long -term path. So 00:10:51.769 --> 00:10:53.710 acting on screen, check. What about just using 00:10:53.710 --> 00:10:55.450 his voice? He has a pretty distinctive voice. 00:10:55.710 --> 00:10:58.529 He does. That gravelly tone. Yeah. And he definitely 00:10:58.529 --> 00:11:01.070 leveraged it. The biggest voice role the sources 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:04.769 highlight is Leonardo. In the 2014 Teenage Mutant 00:11:04.769 --> 00:11:08.590 Ninja Turtles movie. Leo. The leader. That's 00:11:08.590 --> 00:11:11.090 a big get. It was. Interestingly, he didn't return 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:14.429 for the sequel. Pete Plachek, who did the motion 00:11:14.429 --> 00:11:16.789 capture, took over the voice too. But getting 00:11:16.789 --> 00:11:19.350 cast initially was major. Any other voice work? 00:11:19.590 --> 00:11:21.750 Yeah, dipping into animation. He voiced Johnny 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:24.929 Krill, an extreme sports fish, on Spongebob Squarepants. 00:11:25.289 --> 00:11:28.250 And later other character, Randy Cheeks. Ah, 00:11:28.429 --> 00:11:31.490 Johnny Krill. Perfect. Right. He also did voices 00:11:31.490 --> 00:11:33.620 for Family Guy and... Maybe less surprisingly, 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:35.860 given his southern roots, a couple of characters 00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:38.279 on King of the Hill, Peter Sterling, and Hoyt 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:40.960 Platter. Okay, so stuntman, actor, voice actor. 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:44.019 But the sources really emphasize the behind -the 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:46.220 -scenes stuff, too. The producing. This is where 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:48.320 the business acumen really shines. It starts 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:50.720 with Dickhouse Productions. Dickhouse. Gotta 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.320 love the name. That was him, Tremaine, and Spike 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:56.379 Johns. That's the trio. And Dickhouse wasn't 00:11:56.379 --> 00:11:58.440 just the entity that produced the jackass movies. 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:00.919 They had bigger ambitions. Like documentaries. 00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:03.519 Exactly. Yeah. They produced The Birth of Big 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:06.840 Air. about BMX legend Matt Hoffman. That film 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.799 was actually part of ESPN's prestigious 30 for 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.539 30 documentary series. Wow, okay. That's serious 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:15.220 credibility. It is. And they also did The Wild 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:16.940 and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, another 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:21.100 documentary exploring a very specific subculture. 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:23.799 Both got distribution through Tribeca Films. 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:26.059 So they were using their platform to tell other 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:28.019 kinds of stories, not just their own. Using the 00:12:28.019 --> 00:12:30.659 jackass clout to get more serious projects made. 00:12:30.820 --> 00:12:32.929 Smart. But then there was another shift on the 00:12:32.929 --> 00:12:35.570 production side. Yes. After the huge success 00:12:35.570 --> 00:12:38.690 of Bad Grandpa in 2013, which showed this new 00:12:38.690 --> 00:12:41.370 narrative potential, Knoxville made a big move 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:44.029 in 2014. He formed a new company called Hello 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:46.070 Junior. Hello Junior. Okay, who was involved 00:12:46.070 --> 00:12:47.990 in that? This one was with Derek Freyda, who 00:12:47.990 --> 00:12:50.710 was an executive producer on Jackass. And the 00:12:50.710 --> 00:12:52.850 key thing about Hello Junior, the thing that 00:12:52.850 --> 00:12:55.190 really signals Knoxville's status in the industry. 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.759 Let me guess. A studio deal. Bingo. They immediately 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.259 signed an exclusive two -year first -look deal 00:13:01.259 --> 00:13:03.659 with Paramount Pictures. Okay, break that down. 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:06.220 What does a first -look deal actually mean in 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:08.720 practice? It means Paramount paid Hello Junior 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:12.100 a chunk of money up front. In return, Paramount 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:15.059 gets the first right to see, finance, and distribute 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:18.279 any movie or TV show idea that Knoxville and 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.379 Freyda developed through that company. So Paramount 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:23.259 is basically betting on him, on his ideas, before 00:13:23.259 --> 00:13:26.480 they even exist. Precisely. They're saying, we 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.940 believe in your taste, your ability to generate 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:31.759 successful projects, and we want first dibs. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:34.539 It's a huge vote of confidence. It locks him 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:37.100 in as a key creative partner for the studio, 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:39.200 especially for their comedy slate. That really 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:41.320 elevates him beyond just being the jackass guy. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.899 He's a player. a content generator the studio 00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:46.539 wants to keep close. Absolutely. And his quote 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:48.120 at the time was perfect. Knoxville, something 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.600 like, I'm over the damn moon. I have many more 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:52.919 films to make and bones to break. I'm glad I 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.200 will be doing it for Paramount. Bones to break 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:57.440 for Paramount. That sums up the paradox perfectly. 00:13:57.700 --> 00:14:00.019 The chaos brand meets corporate partnership. 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:02.759 It's brilliant self -awareness, really. So he's 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:05.330 got the acting, the producing. But he didn't 00:14:05.330 --> 00:14:08.029 entirely leave the world of physical performance 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:11.610 and spectacle behind, did he? No, definitely 00:14:11.610 --> 00:14:14.909 not. Which brings us to professional wrestling. 00:14:15.049 --> 00:14:18.509 Yes. His involvement with WWE wasn't just a one 00:14:18.509 --> 00:14:20.909 -off appearance. It was actually quite extensive, 00:14:21.149 --> 00:14:23.830 especially in 2022. I remember hearing about 00:14:23.830 --> 00:14:25.529 this. It started earlier, though, right? Yeah. 00:14:25.549 --> 00:14:27.850 The sources mention a debut way back in 2008 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:30.330 on Raw, having a little run -in with the Great 00:14:30.330 --> 00:14:34.379 Khali, and another guest spot in 2010. But the 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:37.820 main event, so to speak, was 2022. What happened 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:40.360 then? It kicked off around the day one pay -per 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:42.139 -view. He announced he was entering the Royal 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:44.740 Rumble match. The actual Royal Rumble, not just 00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:46.419 commentary or something. No, as a competitor. 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:49.279 He entered at number nine, and almost immediately 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:52.139 he got into it with Sami Zayn, one of WWE's top 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:55.000 stars at the time. Okay. Classic wrestling storyline. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:57.820 Established wrestler versus invading celebrity. 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:00.559 Exactly. Zayn eliminated him pretty quickly, 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:03.279 which just fueled the fire. Knoxville then started 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:06.039 showing up on SmackDown repeatedly, just tormenting 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:09.259 Zayn, costing him matches, playing pranks. Classic 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:11.879 jackass tactics in a WWE ring. So he brought 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:14.799 the jackass vibe to wrestling. Totally. He even 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.860 challenged Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:20.509 at one point. Zayn refused, naturally. Building 00:15:20.509 --> 00:15:22.830 the heat. So how did it culminate? Knoxville 00:15:22.830 --> 00:15:24.990 eventually cost Zayn the Intercontinental title 00:15:24.990 --> 00:15:27.909 by distracting him during a match against Ricochet. 00:15:28.389 --> 00:15:31.690 That led Zayn to finally snap and challenge Knoxville 00:15:31.690 --> 00:15:34.649 to a match at WrestleMania. WrestleMania. The 00:15:34.649 --> 00:15:36.149 biggest show of the year. What kind of match? 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:38.850 An anything -goes match. Perfect for Knoxville. 00:15:39.389 --> 00:15:43.110 Weapons, stunts, chaos. It was right up his alley. 00:15:43.289 --> 00:15:46.269 And did he? He won. At WrestleMania 38, night 00:15:46.269 --> 00:15:49.519 two. Johnny Knoxville pinned Sami Zayn. He actually 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.679 won at WrestleMania. Half a lot of help from 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.820 his friends. The sources say Chris Pontius, Wee 00:15:54.820 --> 00:15:57.840 Man, Jeff Tremaine, even Jasper Dolphin and Dark 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:00.399 Shark from the newer crew all got involved. They 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:02.919 used giant mousetraps, bowling balls, air horns. 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:06.720 It was pure jackass meets WWE. That's incredible. 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:08.639 A perfect crossover. Talk about understanding 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:10.559 your brand and how to leverage it. It really 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:12.720 was. And it shows his willingness to keep trying 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:15.399 new platforms, new forms of performance, which 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:17.279 also connects to his most recent venture mentioned 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:20.799 in the sources. Podcasting. Yep. In April 2024, 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:23.620 he launched a podcast called Pretty Sure I Can 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:26.500 Fly with Johnny Knoxville and Elna Baker. Interesting. 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:30.399 Moving into audio storytelling seems safer. You'd 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.470 think so. But safety is relative when your other 00:16:34.470 --> 00:16:36.769 projects still involve pranks. And that leads 00:16:36.769 --> 00:16:38.450 us to some of the legal issues that have popped 00:16:38.450 --> 00:16:41.250 up more recently. Ah, right. The prank panel 00:16:41.250 --> 00:16:43.750 show. That's generated some controversy, hasn't 00:16:43.750 --> 00:16:46.730 it? It has. And the sources detail a couple of 00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:49.289 specific lawsuits. It highlights a key difference 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:52.049 from the old jackass days. Which is? Consent, 00:16:52.049 --> 00:16:54.750 essentially. In jackass, the core members knew 00:16:54.750 --> 00:16:57.149 what they signed up for. Waivers and all. The 00:16:57.149 --> 00:17:00.029 danger was mostly internal. The prank panel seems 00:17:00.029 --> 00:17:02.230 to involve pranking unsuspecting members of the 00:17:02.230 --> 00:17:04.210 public. OK, yeah, that's a different ethical 00:17:04.210 --> 00:17:05.990 and legal landscape. What were the lawsuits about? 00:17:06.170 --> 00:17:08.109 The first one mentioned is from December 2022. 00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:12.329 A handyman hired through TaskRabbit sued Knoxville 00:17:12.329 --> 00:17:14.369 in the show. He claimed he was put through a 00:17:14.369 --> 00:17:17.069 terrifying ordeal as part of a prank filmed for 00:17:17.069 --> 00:17:19.789 the show. So alleging real emotional distress 00:17:19.789 --> 00:17:21.970 from being the butt of the joke without consent? 00:17:22.329 --> 00:17:25.250 Exactly. The second lawsuit is more recent, May 00:17:25.250 --> 00:17:30.180 2024. This time, it was allegedly a segment producer 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:33.019 on the show suing Knoxville. A producer? What 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:35.460 was the claim? The allegation was that Knoxville 00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:38.099 tased him during the filming of the show. Tased 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:40.559 a producer. Okay, that's blurring lines even 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.640 within the production. It definitely raises questions 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.940 about workplace safety. And the inherent risks 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:48.460 when your whole premise is built on surprise 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:51.839 and sometimes simulated violence or shock. Yeah. 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:54.900 It shows the potential downsides, the legal blowback, 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.380 when the chaos spills over onto people who maybe 00:17:57.380 --> 00:17:59.500 didn't fully sign up for that level of involvement. 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:01.880 Right. The cost can be more than just physical 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.019 injury. It can be legal fees and reputational 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:06.519 hits. Which brings us to the personal cost, the 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:09.140 physical toll this career has taken on him. We 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:10.759 touched on the injuries, but let's talk about 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:12.859 his personal life, too. Yeah, the sources give 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:14.779 us some insight there. He's had two long -term 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:17.259 marriages. First was to Melanie Ling Cates. They 00:18:17.259 --> 00:18:19.819 married in 1995. Okay. They had a daughter together, 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:22.940 born in 96. She actually popped up in the credits 00:18:22.940 --> 00:18:26.039 of Jackass No. 2 in 3D, which is kind of sweet. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:28.660 Ah, that is nice. How long were they married? 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.859 They divorced around 2008, finalized in 2009. 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:34.259 The sources note there was a child support agreement, 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:37.880 $6 ,000 a month. Okay. Did he remarry? Yes. In 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:40.740 2010, he married Naomi Nelson. They had two more 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:43.589 children. a son born in late 2009 and another 00:18:43.589 --> 00:18:45.950 daughter in 2011. So three kids all together. 00:18:46.029 --> 00:18:48.430 Was the second marriage still going? He filed 00:18:48.430 --> 00:18:51.549 for divorce from Naomi Nelson in June 2022, and 00:18:51.549 --> 00:18:54.450 the sources say it was finalized in 2024. So 00:18:54.450 --> 00:18:57.109 two significant marriages, both lasting over 00:18:57.109 --> 00:19:00.210 a decade. It suggests a desire for stability 00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:02.769 in his personal life, even amidst the professional 00:19:02.769 --> 00:19:06.410 chaos. It really does. A family man behind the 00:19:06.410 --> 00:19:09.470 mayhem. But that mayhem definitely took its toll 00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:12.549 physically. We know about broken bones, concussions, 00:19:12.569 --> 00:19:15.349 but the sources mention one injury in particular 00:19:15.349 --> 00:19:19.630 that sounds... Uniquely horrific. Ah, yes. This 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:21.690 is probably the most extreme example of the physical 00:19:21.690 --> 00:19:24.309 price he paid. It stems from a stunt he did for 00:19:24.309 --> 00:19:26.289 a tribute to Evil Neville. Jackass presence. 00:19:26.490 --> 00:19:28.730 Matt Hoffman's tribute to Evil Neville. Okay, 00:19:28.769 --> 00:19:30.309 what happened? It wasn't a bone break, was it? 00:19:30.450 --> 00:19:33.670 No. He tore his urethra. Oh, sorry. It tore his 00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:37.930 urethra. The tube inside. Yes. Medically speaking, 00:19:38.170 --> 00:19:41.109 a severe injury to the urinary tract. Extremely 00:19:41.109 --> 00:19:44.230 painful, obviously. And complicates... Well, 00:19:44.309 --> 00:19:46.670 basic bodily functions. I can't even imagine. 00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:48.829 How do you even recover from something like that? 00:19:48.990 --> 00:19:50.650 Well, the recovery detailed in the sources is 00:19:50.650 --> 00:19:53.869 intense. Yeah. It involved a procedure called 00:19:53.869 --> 00:19:57.329 urinary catheterization, but not just in the 00:19:57.329 --> 00:19:59.289 hospital. What do you mean? He had to perform 00:19:59.289 --> 00:20:03.369 it on himself twice a day. Wait. He had to insert 00:20:03.369 --> 00:20:06.069 a catheter tube into his own penis up to his 00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:09.049 bladder himself. That's what the sources state 00:20:09.049 --> 00:20:11.589 he described. He had to do the self -catheterization 00:20:11.589 --> 00:20:15.559 twice daily. The reason was crucial to prevent 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.079 scar tissue from forming and potentially blocking 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.380 the urethra permanently. My God, that's beyond 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:22.880 a stunt injury. That's long -term invasive medical 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:25.160 self -management. How long did he have to do 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:27.619 this for? This is the truly staggering part. 00:20:27.940 --> 00:20:29.859 According to the source material where he discussed 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:32.220 it, he had to do this procedure on himself twice 00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:34.500 a day for three and a half years. Three and a 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:36.140 half years. Three and a half years. That just, 00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:39.440 that reframes everything, doesn't it? That level 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:42.059 of hidden... Painful, disciplined commitment 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:44.599 required just to function normally after one 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:46.920 stunt. It's not just about being reckless. It's 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:49.940 about enduring the consequences with this almost 00:20:49.940 --> 00:20:53.400 unbelievable level of fortitude. Exactly. It 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.240 moves jackass from just guys hurting themselves 00:20:56.240 --> 00:21:00.619 for laughs to something deeper. Yeah, highlights 00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:02.759 an extraordinary level of dedication, not just 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:05.200 to the stunt itself, but to the incredibly difficult 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:07.880 long -term recovery. That's not anarchy. That's 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.339 resilience. That's professionalism in a very 00:21:10.339 --> 00:21:13.740 strange, painful way. Wow. Okay. So pulling all 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:15.240 these threads together, the stunts, the acting, 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:16.859 the producing, the wrestling, the injuries, the 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:19.160 business deals, what's the final picture? What 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:21.200 does this deep dive tell us about Johnny Knoxville? 00:21:21.380 --> 00:21:23.579 I think the key takeaway is that he's fundamentally 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:26.440 a creator who refused to be pigeonholed. When 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.400 plan A traditional acting didn't work, he didn't 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:31.410 quit. He created Plan B. He literally invented 00:21:31.410 --> 00:21:34.029 his own path by turning self -destruction into 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:36.470 content. And that content became the foundation 00:21:36.470 --> 00:21:39.700 for everything else. Dickhouse Productions, Hello 00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:42.779 Junior, The Paramount Deal. He leveraged the 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:45.660 chaos into real Hollywood power. Absolutely. 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:48.539 He built a production house, maintained a parallel 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:51.640 acting career, playing diverse roles from aliens 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:54.940 to Oscar -bait parts like The Winger, even conquered 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:57.819 WrestleMania. He managed his brand across decades 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:00.279 in different media. It all comes back to that 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:02.819 central paradox, doesn't it? The wild man on 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:05.579 screen, the shrewd businessman off screen, the 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:08.259 guy getting gored by bulls who also negotiates 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:11.619 first look deals. Precisely. And we've seen the 00:22:11.619 --> 00:22:14.440 immense physical cost that urethra injury requiring 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:17.200 years of self -care is just mind blowing. And 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:19.440 the potential legal costs as seen with the prank 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:21.599 panel when the tranks affect non -consenting 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.970 parties. So now he's 54, he's podcasting, he's 00:22:24.970 --> 00:22:27.450 producing, still acting. Seems like maybe a slight 00:22:27.450 --> 00:22:29.990 shift towards less physically demanding work, 00:22:30.170 --> 00:22:32.470 maybe. It seems that way. Which leads us to the 00:22:32.470 --> 00:22:34.150 final thought, the question for you, the listener, 00:22:34.269 --> 00:22:36.490 to consider. Okay, what's that? The jackass brand 00:22:36.490 --> 00:22:39.569 is still incredibly potent, but Knoxville himself. 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:43.160 The man, Philip John Clapp, is evolving. He's 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:45.700 building this legacy as a producer, an actor, 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:48.819 a businessman. How long can the commercial appeal 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:52.769 of the jackass chaos really sustain itself? if 00:22:52.769 --> 00:22:54.970 the central figure is increasingly moving towards 00:22:54.970 --> 00:22:57.690 safer, more behind -the -scenes roles? That's 00:22:57.690 --> 00:23:00.210 a great question. What endures more strongly 00:23:00.210 --> 00:23:02.789 in the end? Is it the image of the fearless, 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:05.869 often -injured stunt performer? Or is it the 00:23:05.869 --> 00:23:08.690 legacy of the savvy creator and producer who 00:23:08.690 --> 00:23:10.750 built an empire out of it, the guy who signed 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:12.670 the Paramount deal? Will the producer ultimately 00:23:12.670 --> 00:23:15.509 overshadow the performer, especially given the 00:23:15.509 --> 00:23:17.890 incredible hidden price that performance demanded? 00:23:18.210 --> 00:23:20.690 What will define Johnny Knoxville 50 years from 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:23.809 now? The stunts or the studio deals? Something 00:23:23.809 --> 00:23:25.930 to definitely think about. The architect of controlled 00:23:25.930 --> 00:23:28.470 chaos, indeed. Well, that's all the time we have 00:23:28.470 --> 00:23:30.269 for this deep dive. Thanks for joining us. We'll 00:23:30.269 --> 00:23:30.910 catch you in the next one.