Considering how many serious injuries the Jackass cast members have suffered over the years, one would think that even before Jackass Forever, they had reached the limit of their willingness to pull off dangerous stunts. Jackass Forever is the fourth movie in Jeff Tremaine’s reality comedy film series, which came after Jackass 3D (2010).
However, the filming process was interrupted by some of the ludicrous, and risky stunts that resulted in injuries to the main character of the franchise. Indeed, Johnny Knoxville earlier talked about the major bull stunt that caused him to suffer brain damage and has revealed whether or not he regrets being a part of such a risky act.
Also, note that the critics did give the film favorable reviews; in fact, a number of them thought it was the best in the series.
Johnny Knoxville Opened Up About Jackass 4 Stunt Fallout
In a 2022 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Johnny Knoxville, 53, talked candidly about the injury and the terrible consequences he endured while filming Jackass Forever.
A stunt in Jeff Tremaine’s film involving a bull resulted in a “brain hemorrhage” for the stunt performer-actor. The bull’s blow “was the worst hit I have ever taken from a bull, or maybe period”, Knoxville said to host Howard Stern. He continued, saying:
“I got a brain hemorrhage from that, so my cognitive abilities were in steep decline after that hit.”
Laughing, he continued, describing the injury as “a tough one to come back from”. The Men in Black II star, 53, admitted that receiving that news from a neurologist was an “oh no” moment for him. He explained:
“I had to go under all these types of treatments, this transcranial magnetic stimulation, which they buzz your head with these magnets for about 30 minutes at a time for like, oh God, I would say 10 to 12 treatments over a series of two months. And it’s supposed to help with depression and, you know, help with my cognitive skills.”
Not only were there physical wounds, but the actor also had emotional ones.
Johnny Knoxville’s Emotional Health Crisis After Jackass Forever
His injury also contributed to his depression. In the same interview, Johnny Knoxville told Howard Stern that he had never been able to handle bull before one hit him.
“My brain was just playing tricks on me.”
He admitted to Stern that he started taking an antidepressant “for the first time in my life”, which made him extremely “depressed and overfocused”.
It “completely turned me around”, he confessed, adding that “doing therapy” also helped. Knoxville went on:
“It was a really hard recovery from this last injury, but I’m great now. I feel like I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been.”
It took months for Knoxville to recover from his injuries, which included a “broken wrist, broken ribs, and a concussion that left him with brain damage”, we learned from The Guardian. Check out what the actor told the outlet about the stunt:
“I knew going into this film that this will be the last time I’m gonna be doing big stunts. I didn’t know I was going to get as injured as I did, but I brought that on myself. I have nothing to complain about, only things to be grateful for.”
The Jackass Forever trailer teased the bull-charging stunt, but the full extent and seriousness of it were later disclosed in the film. Even though this is unquestionably one of the serious injuries Knoxville has sustained in his career, he was fortunately able to fully recuperate and return to complete the film’s production.
Jackass Forever is streaming on Paramount Plus.
