One of the most visceral and horrific things that ever happened during a Jackass movie came in Jackass Forever when Johnny Knoxville, bravely, foolhardily, or both, went up against a bull at the tender age of 50 during filming. Johnny vs. The Bull left him horrifically bruised, with a broken rib, brain hemorrhage, concussion, and an additional broken wrist. In short, he’s not allowed to do this sort of thing anymore.
Yet, another Jackass film is still coming, with Knoxville at the forefront. The enterprising leader, now 54, has handed off a lot of the more over-the-top stunts to younger newcomers, particularly in Jackass Forever, but he’s still coming back, baby. He just knows he “can’t get hit in the head anymore,” telling Syndicate X Library about the upcoming installation:
Boy, has my phone been ringing. Maybe I shouldn’t have announced it. I can’t do anything where I can get another concussion. Right? Way over my limit for concussions. I don’t care about anything else. I just can’t get hit in the head anymore. But, a lot of other guys can.
Just a few days ago Knoxville dropped a post officially announcing Jackass 5 was in the pipeline. The news was pretty much out of nowhere, but wasn't a huge surprise, given Steve-O is still out there saying he wants to make "Tom Cruise look like a big, fat p---y" when it comes to stunt work. This is coming from a man who once had third degree burns on 15% of his body.
Knoxville's a bit of a different case. His injuries on the last movie are well-documented, too, but he's a little less bullish about his future in the stunt world. The trailer for Jackass Forever highlighted him getting wrecked by a bull. He later said he doesn't regret it, even with the brain damage that was documented after. In fact, even with the doctor ordering him to avoid concussions, I don't think it's the most brutal injury the man ever suffered in order to make his art.
Johnny Knoxville Had An Even Gnarlier Injury Than The Bull Stunt
In Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman’s Tribute to Evel Knievel, the stuntman attempted a bike stunt that went awry when the bike could not complete a backflip. Instead it landed, hard, directly on his private parts.
Knoxville would later telling Variety he "broke his Jim dog," but that's underselling what happened. His penis broke, he tore his urethra, and he needed a catheter for three plus years after the accident. It was less dangerous to his personal health than the concussions, but certainly more of a graphic and brutal injury.
The doctor said a couple centimeters down and it would’ve been out of commission. But I’ve had two children since then, so it’s in great working order. That’s too much information
Honestly, because of this and the other many other ill-advised Jackass stunts over the years, he said the bull stunt was the last time we'll ever see him take on something so big. Yet, after questions and rumors, Jackass 5 is coming because they are younger guys coming in now to take on some of the heavy lifting.
[The new stunts are] so fun. They’re pure hell for the cast, but they’re fun for me.
Jackass ultimately is in Johnny Knoxville's blood. He got brutally honest about why he got in the game this week, noting he literally made a "career out of failing."
I don’t know how it happened for me. I did what I thought I can do. You know, do something you’re good at, and since I suck at everything, why not try stunts? Cause nobody wants to see somebody make a stunt, at least I didn’t. They’re only good when they fail. So, yes, I made a career out of failing.
And so, Jackass 5 marches forward, a little engine that could, even when it probably shouldn't. Personally, I can't wait.
