Who is Johnny Knoxville?
Johnny Knoxville is a stunt performer, actor, co-creator of the “Jackass” franchise, and host of “Fear Factor: House of Fear.” The series premieres Wednesday, January 14, at 9/8c on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.
TLDR — Key Topics and Moments
- 01Johnny Knoxville discusses his new show Fear Factor: House of Fear premiering on FOX January 14th
- 02Knoxville talks about the evolution of Jackass from magazine stunts to worldwide phenomenon
- 03Discussion of the physical toll and injuries sustained throughout his stunt career
- 04Johnny shares stories about working with the Jackass crew and their creative process
- 05Conversation about hosting Fear Factor and what makes people face their deepest fears
- 06Knoxville reflects on his legacy in entertainment and impact of the Jackass franchise
The Show
Joe sits down with Johnny Knoxville in JRE 2439 to talk about his legendary career in stunts, comedy, and entertainment. Knoxville comes on the show to promote his new hosting gig on Fear Factor: House of Fear, which premieres Wednesday, January 14th on FOX before hitting Hulu the next day. The conversation covers a lot of ground, from how Jackass started as a simple magazine concept to becoming a global cultural phenomenon that defined a generation.
Knoxville gets into the creative process behind Jackass and how the crew would come up with increasingly ridiculous and dangerous stunts. He explains how they started with relatively simple ideas that escalated over time, and how the chemistry between him and the other cast members like Bam, Brandon, and Steve-O made the whole thing work. The stunts weren't just random either, there was actual thought put into what would be funny and what would push boundaries without completely killing themselves, though plenty of injuries happened along the way.
The conversation shifts to the physical toll of doing stunts for decades. Knoxville talks openly about the injuries, broken bones, and long-term damage that came from making Jackass content. He's surprisingly candid about how his body feels now and what it took to keep doing this stuff at the level they did. It's clear that while the stunts were fun and profitable, there was a real cost to his body.
When discussing Fear Factor: House of Fear, Knoxville talks about what makes people tick when they're facing their fears. He explains how the show works and why fear is such a universal thing that people are both repulsed by and fascinated with. Hosting the show lets him observe people in extreme situations, which ties back to what he's been doing his whole career with Jackass.
Throughout the interview, Joe and Johnny have a natural chemistry and keep things loose and funny. They riff on various topics related to entertainment, the changing landscape of comedy and stunts, and what it takes to build something that lasts. Knoxville comes across as someone who genuinely loves what he does and doesn't take himself too seriously, which is fitting given his entire career is built on doing ridiculous things for entertainment.
Key Moments
Best Quotes
"Fear Factor: House of Fear premieres Wednesday, January 14th at 9/8c on FOX"
"We started with simple ideas and just kept escalating from there"
"The chemistry with the crew is what made Jackass work"
"Doing stunts for this long takes a real physical toll on your body"
"Fear is something everyone can relate to, which is why the show works"
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Full Transcript (click to expand)
Full transcript available. Auto-generated captions may contain errors.