Johnny Knoxville

Episode notes

(Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty Images)

Content warning: This interview contains conversations around bodily harm related to stunt work.

There’s an art to the perfect prank. This week, we’re joined by Johnny Knoxville, an expert prankster and master of his craft. 

He’s been at the center of the Jackass universe for more than two decades and has performed stunts in all its iterations including spin-offs like Bad Grandpa. 

The Jackass crew have done things like cover their entire body with bees, gotten tattoos in off-road vehicles – one of Knoxville’s signature stunts involves going into bullpens and getting rammed head on.  

Johnny has been putting his body on the line for years. Last year, the group put out Jackass Forever, their fourth feature length film. 

Now in his 50’s, Knoxville almost died making Jackass Forever.  A stunt involving a bull resulted in a broken wrist, broken ribs and a concussion that took him a year to recover from.

He’s had to face down what his life is without the smashing and crashing. The answer was pranks. His new show is called The Prank Panel. He’s joined by his sometime Jackass colleague Eric Andre and Gabourey Sidibe. Regular people come before the panel and pitch pranks on people they love. Spouses, siblings, friends, coworkers.

Knoxville gets into The Prank Panel on the latest episode of Bullseye. Plus, he’ll reflect on his time making Jackass, and what it’s been like to age into the dangerous world of stunt performing.