July 10, 2023
Johnny Knoxville, the renowned stunt performer and star of Jackass, acknowledges the precarious nature of his profession and the appreciation his insurance company has for his survival.
During a recent Vanity Fair lie detector interview, the fifty-two-year-old entertainer was asked if he is the nightmare of insurance agents. In an attempt to deceive, Knoxville initially responded, "No," before turning to the lie detector operator and seeking confirmation, "Does that sound true?" However, upon receiving a decisive headshake, he conceded, "Okay, you got me, I am."
Throughout his career, Knoxville has suffered sprains, tears, and fractures in numerous body parts. Alongside his fellow Jackass cast members, he willingly participated in life-threatening stunts for years. Consequently, it is not surprising to learn that the production struggled to find a health insurance company willing to cover their potential and often inevitable injuries.
Acknowledging previous denials of coverage, the daring performer revealed, "At the end of the Jackass TV show, I think we lost all our insurance. So that wasn't great. I think we were uninsurable at that point."
The Jackass franchise has since expanded to include multiple films and TV specials. Last year, in an interview with EW, Knoxville disclosed that his body has endured so much trauma that his doctors compare it to the aftermath of "a major car crash." It was this realization that led him to conclude that Jackass Forever would be his final venture into the realm of death-defying stunts.
"You can only take so many chances before one forever catches up with you," Knoxville remarked. "I realized that and it's amazing that I'm still walking around. I think I pushed my luck far enough."