Torn urethras and Oscar nominations: Jackass's journey to infamy

Cheat Sheet: How Jackass delighted teens and terrified parents Thu 2 Jul 2026 at 4:30am Welcome to Cheat Sheet, where we give you all the intel you need about iconic franchises! In honour of its fifth instalment heading to cinemas, this month we're looking at the beloved and long-running prank series Jackass. Perhaps the greatest feat of prank franchise Jackass is that the crew of skateboarders and dropouts parlayed gross-out hijinks into a nearly three-decade career of shocked testicles, fractured bones, split skin and, in one unfortunate case, a torn urethra. Beginning with a breakout 2000s TV series, Jackass has evolved into a five-film, multi-special cultural touchstone that spawned numerous spin-offs and hundreds of imitators (with some even ending up in official Jackass productions). From its creation, the Jackass crew attempted to immortalise the natural pursuit of young people without fully formed frontal lobes: throwing yourself into situations just to see how they'd play out. Now, 25 years down the track and with Jackass: Best and Last heading to theatres, here's what you need to know about the franchise that delighted teens and terrified parents. The history of Jackass Jackass's journey to TV nuisance can only be described as a serendipitous meeting of puerile minds. At the turn of the millennium, eventual leader Johnny Knoxville was still going by Philip "PJ" Clapp, collecting bit parts in advertisements to support his young family. Knoxville didn't have a sports background like other Jackass cast members. He wasn't a snowboarder or skateboarder, but he did have a handycam, an admiration for Hunter S Thompson and his Gonzo journalism, and a desire to be a movie star. Knoxville had an idea for an article in which he would test the effectiveness of various items of protective equipment. A couple of magazines were interested in seeing Knoxville pepper spray and taser himself, but baulked when he said he wanted to test a bulletproof vest by being shot with a .38 revolver. Enter Big Brother, a US skateboarding magazine that leaned into the edginess of the subculture, reporting on the sport but also publishing satirical articles like How To Kill Yourself. Jeff Tremaine, the magazine's editor at the time, was the only person willing to take on the liability of Knoxville's madcap idea. But Tremaine wanted to take it even further, convincing Knoxville to not just write his findings, but to film himself enduring the research in what would become the publication's first viral hit in the new age of early internet. States away, pro-skateboarder Bam Margera was attracting attention with videos of himself, friends and family pulling off dangerous skating stunts under the moniker CKY (Camp Kill Yourself). Tremaine was intrigued, and flew Margera to LA to meet Knoxville and other future Jackass members, and create what would become the Jackass pilot. Once the newly assembled team had 20 minutes of footage, they started shopping it around to networks. Legendary variety show Saturday Night Live offered a recurring segment, but the crew ended up going with MTV, which had been steadily marching towards scripted content and away from the music videos on which it had built its reputation. Premiering in April 2000, Jackass was a runaway hit, attracting the biggest audience outside of MTV's landmark VMA awards. The Jackass crew, which included fellow skate culture ring-ins Steve-O and Ryan Dunn, became overnight stars with Knoxville gracing the cover of Rolling Stone within the year. Over 18 months, the Jackass crew pumped out 25 episodes of themselves being shot out of cannons, gored by bulls, turned into human barbecues and being inundated by various bodily fluids. But their success was a double-edged sword. Although each Jackass presentation came with the strict warning "do not try this at home", as the group's popularity grew, so did the number of under-18s presenting to emergency departments with injuries sustained while trying to emulate their heroes. In January 2001, then-Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman began a campaign against the show after a 13-year-old boy set himself on fire trying to recreate a Jackass stunt. He demanded MTV cancel Jackass, and while the network didn't completely bow to Lieberman's demands, it did scare it enough to put OSHA (the equivalent of workplace health and safety) babysitters on production. Knoxville felt he couldn't commit to a "watered down" version of the show and quit. Jackass's time on TV had ended. But MTV wasn't done yet, approaching the cast with the option for a feature film under its movies division. And this time they wouldn't have to kowtow to any TV censors. Jackass: The Movie was released in October 2002 and was quickly trashed by critics for its gross-out stunts and liberal violence. But the fans ate it up, with the film grossing $US79 million on a minuscule $US5 million budget. Lieberman's aim to put an end to Jackass had only set them on a new beginning. The impact of Jackass By the time Jackass had broken out of TV and onto the silver screen, its imprint on pop culture had been solidified. The year after Jackass: The Movie, MTV took another bite of the apple, releasing Jackass spin-offs Wildboyz, an international travel/prank show starring Steve-O and Chris Pontius, and Viva La Bam, a hybrid reality/prank show that featured Margera's family, friends and select Jackass cast. At the same time, Knoxville was parlaying his new-found notoriety into the acting career on which he originally set his sights, landing lead roles in 2005 films The Ringer and Dukes of Hazzard. By the time the Jackass gang got back together for 2006's Jackass Number Two, the prank format had trickled down into other MTV hits like Punk'd, in which dramatically less dangerous stunts were inflicted on unsuspecting celebrities. The Jackass crew was not immune to being Punk'd, with Margera and Wee Man targeted by the show's antics. Jackass Number Two was another box-office hit, pulling in $US84 million on an $US11.5 million budget, with enough footage shot to release Jackass 2.5, a direct-to-video overspill for scenes which didn't make it into cinema. By the time Jackass 3D hit cinemas in 2010, widespread internet access opened the floodgates to mass video platforms like YouTube. This enabled at-home copycats to upload their backyard stunts, flagrantly ignoring the show's safety disclaimer. Jackass 3D would become the most profitable of any of the group's cinematic endeavours, but they would be dealt a devastating blow less than a year later when founding member Ryan Dunn and former Jackass production assistant Zachary Hartwell were killed in an alcohol-influenced car accident. Dunn had reportedly struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues that were also taking a toll on other members of the group. Steve-O entered rehab in 2008 following a bipolar diagnosis, and his ensuing long-term sobriety became part of his brand. In the decade between Jackass 3D and 2022's Jackass Forever, the franchise expanded to Bad Grandpa, a scripted, hidden-camera comedy that saw Jackass honoured with its first and only Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. But also during this time, the group's relationship with breakout star Margera disintegrated, in part due to his erratic behaviour, substance abuse and various run-ins with the law. In 2021, Margera posted videos on Instagram claiming he had been fired from the fourth film, Jackass Forever, and encouraged fans to boycott the movie. Months later, Tremaine was granted a three-year restraining order against him, with Tremaine's application claiming Margera had threatened his family after being fired for breaking a sobriety clause in his contract. Margera then sued Tremaine, Knoxville, producer Spike Jones and Paramount Pictures for wrongful termination, with the lawsuit being settled after a request to dismiss from Margera. Margera stated in 2026 that due to his experience on Jackass Forever, he did not participate in filming for Jackass Best and Last, which opens in Australian cinemas on July 2, but agreed to his archival footage being used. Five essential Jackass pranks Beehive Limo (Jackass Number Two) What's worse than getting locked in a car with thousands of angry bees? Opening the door to hundreds of marbles on the ground, and immediately falling on your face. Toilet Explosion (Jackass 3D) Everyone loves a bit of toilet humour, and the Jackass crew are big believers in it. The official show began with a stunt called Poo Cocktail, where Johnny Knoxville was locked in a well-used portable toilet that was tipped upside down. This gag was refined and revisited multiple times over the years, including Poo Cocktail Supreme involving Steve-O, a full loo and bungee cables. But the best is Toilet Explosion, where unsuspecting portaloo users were greeted with an explosion of blue paint when they got comfortable. Naturally, this gag was expanded in Jackass 4.5 to involve real explosives on an unsuspecting Ehren McGhehey. Rocket Skates (Jackass: The Movie) Sometimes the best stunts are the ones that were clearly made up while everyone was sitting around doing very little. The jet engine from Jackass 3D is one that comes to mind; after shooting a scene with Ryan Dunn recreating the iconic Maxell Cassette armchair advert, the guys mucked around throwing whatever they could find in the powerful airstream. This is the predecessor to that. With far less money to throw around, the fellas just strapped fireworks to rollerskates to see if they could hit top speeds. Slip N Bowl (and a paintball helicopter) [Jackass 3.5] This is a stunt that's actually a masterfully disguised prank, where the guys think they're acting as human bowling pins on a large, lubricated surface as Nitro Circus star Streetbike Tommy slid down a ramp towards them as the "ball". Little did the Jackass team know Johnny Knoxville had organised a secret prank, flying a remote-controlled helicopter over the scene and pelting everyone with paintballs as they tried to get traction on a floor covered in lube. High Five (AKA The Big Hand) [Jackass 3D] There is no funnier Jackass prank than The Big Hand. The premise is very simple: bring an unsuspecting person into the room, and as they enter the doorway, they're smacked by a giant hand. Each victim then becomes involved in setting up the next. Ryan Dunn is the first victim, who then helps lure Ehren McGhehey towards a handing while he's holding a tray of precarious bowls of soup. Hearing Johnny Knoxville gleefully squeal "he fell for the soup!" will live on in fans' minds forever. But it's Bam Margera who steals the show with this prank. Not only is he whacked with the giant hand, but it also has bags of flour taped to it, causing him to fall backwards with straight legs like a tree, his sunglasses blowing off his head and the burrito he's holding flying perfectly into the bin next to him. It's a masterclass in antiquing, as Knoxville calls it, between gasping laughter, and a perfect example of the Jackass pastiche. Jackass: Best and Last is in cinemas now.