Johnny Knoxville Reveals Why He’s Ending the ‘Jackass’ Era After 25 Years

After nearly 25 years of pranks, stunts and injuries, Johnny Knoxville says it is time for Jackass to take its final bow. The longtime face of the franchise recently reflected on the decision to step away as Jackass: Best and Last prepares for release.

Knoxville spoke with Little White Lies about the future of the franchise and why he believes now is the right moment to move on. He said the goal was to conclude the series on its own terms rather than continue indefinitely.

Asked what led him to the decision, Knoxville pointed to the injuries he sustained while filming Jackass Forever.

“The short, simple answer is that I feel like it’s time. After that last injury in Jackass Forever with the bull–Mr Pecker Wrecker–and the resulting concussion and brain haemorrhage and all that good stuff, I can no longer ride rockets or get smoked by bulls. Yet we wanted to go out on our own merits and do one last one for the fans, and for us. Jackass was born among friends, and that’s how it will end,” he said.

Knoxville previously discussed the extent of those injuries during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2024. “It was a traumatic brain injury with a concussion, brain hemorrhage, and I broke my wrist and ribs. Then the neurologist was like, ‘You can't have another concussion,’” he said.

The injury marked a turning point for Knoxville, who has spent decades performing increasingly dangerous stunts for the franchise.

Knoxville told Little White Lies that becoming more selective about stunt work was not a particularly difficult adjustment.

In addition to performing stunts, he has spent years helping write, develop and direct them. He credited that broader creative involvement with making the transition easier as he moved away from the physical demands that defined much of his career.

Knoxville, now 55, began working on Jackass in his late 20s. Over the years, he has sustained numerous injuries that required lengthy recoveries.

The injuries from Jackass Forever ultimately reinforced the need to be more cautious moving forward. While Knoxville indicated that he still has other projects he hopes to pursue, he said the physical toll of stunt work played a major role in his decision to bring this chapter of his career to a close.