Johnny Knoxville is one of America's most recognizable daredevils, but which
stunt forced him to use a catheter for three years? You might not want to know. The answer,
and more things you may not know about the "Jackass Forever" star, just ahead.
Johnny Knoxville — born Philip John Clapp — is no stranger to injuries and hospital visits.
But he also, unfortunately, had many medical issues as a child.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, he details the asthma issues he had as a kid,
and which he still deals with today. He told the magazine,
"It was a really nice childhood, and I was really coddled. But I was also sick a lot."
His asthma was so bad that he couldn't do a lot of classic childhood activities,
like playing in a pile of leaves. Knoxville even had stints in which he had to spend several days
to a week in the hospital. He said he almost died at the age of eight as a result of having the flu,
pneumonia, and bronchitis all at the same time. Yet his chronic lung disease didn't stop him from
playing sports because he, quote, "didn't want to be left out or feel like a victim."
Johnny Knoxville is technically a classically trained actor ... even though his training was
never formally completed. According to the New York Times, Knoxville moved to Los Angeles after
high school and attended the Pasadena School of Dramatic Arts, but he dropped out after six weeks.
Knoxville told the Washington Times that he had wanted to be an actor since he was
13, quote, "because it sounded like a job with the least amount of work involved." As luck
would have it, Knoxville would eventually make it in the acting world without a fancy degree.
Yet it took some time and a unique career path before he made his way to stardom.
Before "Jackass" was born, Knoxville was a writer for skateboarding magazine Big Brother,
where he pitched a story about testing self-defense equipment,
like pepper spray and stun guns, on himself. Magazine editor Jeff Tremaine
suggested Knoxville film the experiments and the rest, as they say, is history.
Knoxville's inaugural acting credit was an appearance on "The Ben Stiller Show" in 1992.
It wasn't a major role, as Knoxville was a featured extra as a Cure fan.
Other roles audiences might have missed Knoxville in include a "college guy"
in "Coyote Ugly" in 2002, as well as Bob in "Desert Blues" in 1995.
Though he had already made a name for himself by the time he took the part,
audiences might be surprised to learn that he voiced Johnny Krill on "SpongeBob SquarePants."
But while Knoxville has played a plethora of roles outside of the "Jackass" franchise,
most people would agree that his greatest performances happen when he's just being himself.
Knoxville is widely known as a stunt performer and actor. But fans might not know
that he also has numerous writing credits. Knoxville has 15 writing credits on IMDB,
including projects such as "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa," "Action Point," and many
others — including the mainline "Jackass" movies. He told GQ in a 2021 interview,
"Writing gave me confidence as a person. It was like, I don't have to just worry about
trying to make it. I can do this and feel satisfied and engaged."
Luckily for fans and Knoxville alike, the writer-turned-actor
did make it –– and he even turned down some big opportunities along the way.
Many actors have become mega-famous after appearing on NBC's iconic sketch
comedy show "Saturday Night Live." But Johnny Knoxville turned down the
long-running show right around when he was shooting the "Jackass" pilot.
In a 2005 interview with the Washington Times, Knoxville detailed his decision, saying,
"It was at the point where I either say yes to my friends, where we had all the control,
or yes to 'Saturday Night Live,' where none of my friends were really going to
be there and I had no control. I just thought I made the right decision."
Knoxville told the Hollywood Reporter that his role on SNL
would have consisted of him doing solo stunts each week. He told the outlet,
“They were going to give me, like,
five minutes each week to do what I do, but that would just be me.
And I couldn’t do both. Our show was about to go. So I kind of bet on us as opposed to on myself."
"I wasn't gonna have complete control like we did on 'Jackass.'"
"Right. It was a smart move."
In 2005, Knoxville hosted "SNL,"
proving that — with a little patience — you can have your cake and eat it, too.
Johnny Knoxville might live a wild and crazy lifestyle on the screen,
but, off-screen, he's a family man. He's a father of three and has been married
twice. Knoxville and his ex-wife Melanie Cates had a daughter named
Madison — now an adult who lives in Austin as of 2021. Yet the two have since divorced,
and Knoxville is now married to Naomi Nelson. The couple had two children together, Rocco and Arlo.
To no one's surprise, Knoxville doesn't want his kids to follow
in his stunt-performing footsteps. He told Access in a 2010 interview,
"Pranks are fine, no stunts. I don't want Rocco or Madison doing any stunts."
As you'd expect, his parenting techniques are far different than his acting methods. As GQ noted in
a 2021 interview, quote "[Knoxville] is notably attentive to the physical safety of his children."
Johnny Knoxville has endured his fair share of injuries over the years while
shooting "Jackass," but there's one incident that really stands out.
In 2007, Knoxville tore his urethra during a motorcycle stunt gone wrong
while shooting "Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel".
"I came off the ramp, I let go of the bike, it goes 20 feet in the air
and comes down and breaks its handlebars off in my crotch."
Knoxville said in a 2021 GQ interview,
"I wasn't even supposed to do anything. I think I just showed up that day and someone
kind of threw out that I should try and backflip a motorcycle. I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, I got that.'"
The result? The crash led to Knoxville having to self-administer a catheter
for the next three years. But he took it all in stride, telling GQ,
“At the time, I was like, 'I can't wait to tell this story.' Everybody loves a good story."
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