Steve-O Finally Discovered Why His Voice Sounds Like That

Entertainer and performer Steve-O has been a staple in just about every addition to the Jackass franchise, but he's arguably best recognized by his voice. His raspy tone has made him incredibly recognizable, but what happened to his voice to make him sound like that?

Though Steve originally attributed his gravelly voice to years of abusing drugs and performing some extreme stunts, after meeting with Dr. J. Randolph Schnitman, an ENT specialist who's worked with some well-known singers, this turned out not to be the reason for his raspy tone.

According to the doctor, the reason Steve's voice sounds like that is because he uses his throat muscles when talking instead of his vocal cords.

“Really, doc?" Steve-O said, relaying this information in a YouTube video. "After everything I’ve been through, you’re just telling me I just suck at talking."

Throughout his career, Steve-O has completed a lot of wild stunts like eating glass. He's also confessed to using a plethora of drugs recreationally, like cocaine, meth, PCP, and nitrous oxide. But despite his being sober for more than a decade and swearing off some of the more extreme stunts, his voice hasn't gotten better.

“Honestly, I always thought that my world record for barfing the most on television might have something to do with it,” he jokes at the onset of the video.

Steve-O has reportedly been working with a vocal coach to learn how to talk with his vocal cords instead of his throat muscles, though he's admitted "I don’t even know if I want my voice to change."

"I kind of like getting recognized over the phone—and my girl darn sure doesn’t want anything different," he continued. "But I’m still going to give it hell because maybe I can use it in a more healthy way.”