Who spoke the most impactful words in the English language? Was it Shakespeare? Dickinson? Auden? Al Yankovic (né “Weird Al”)? No. All of those hacks pale in comparison with the most handsome man in Hollywood when he said: “Hi, I’m Johnny Knoxville. Welcome to Jackass .
” Almost 25 years on, the Jackass ethos remains one to live by: happiness is not complicated. Credit: Jackass is a goofball stunt franchise that spawned three seasons of TV, nine movies, thousands of angry parents and enough injuries to fill an emergency room to capacity. After originally airing just 25 episodes on MTV, a prominent US senator pressured the network to cancel the show, to the tune of ‘thinking of the children’.
I’d hate to be a pearl back then lest I be clutched. It’s like it was manufactured in a lab to become a target for highly concerned citizens. Jackass is brainless, disgusting and just plain wrong.
And, growing up, it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t realise it at the time, but spending my youth watching Chris Pontius, Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, Steve-O and other reckless fellas pull off gut-churning feats of absurdity would teach me to become a better comedy writer, and a better person. Eternal dreamboat Johnny Knoxville.
Credit: The Jackass boys have often been compared to Buster Keaton. Their antics continue a long tradition of slapstick sillies. They fuse the death-defying feats of Evel Knievel with the unbridled chaos of the Muppets.
And the result rules. In the spirit of the Jackass franchise, I need to drop a disclaimer. The first episodes aired back in the year 2000.
Much of it has aged like heavily regurgitated milk. Sexism, misogyny, ableism, racism – you name it, the allegations are there. As recently as 2022 the franchise was hit with allegations of animal cruelty.
To call it problematic is an understatement. Like a portaloo rocketing through the sky (Google it), it’s messy. My love for Jackass by no means excuses past behaviour chalking it up to a ‘boys will be boys’ mentality.
Knoxville himself has spoken to the need for accepting the consequences, and personal growth. Like many punctured genitals, healing is a process. Wounds need to be iced.
However, these aforementioned incidents do not speak to what I believe to be the core ethos of the Jackass brand: happiness is not complicated. The cornerstone of the Jackass Extended Universe is buddies making each other laugh. There’s a lot of love between these folks that draws in the viewer.
That, and the real-life ‘do not try this at home’ nature of the stunts, is a breath of fresh air in a digitally enhanced world. Spoilsports will turn their noses up at Jackass , saying it’s violent, loutish and primarily concerned with bodily functions. To those critics I say: lighten up, man.
Human existence is gross. Going to the toilet is the great unifier. You might be reading this on the toilet right now.
We’re all a little bit disgusting, and I think that’s beautiful. There’s an illicit excitement to watching this yuckiness as a girl. So often we’re socialised into believing our bodies are composed of goo and shame, our form an affliction to be managed, like an unruly wasp’s nest.
Cover your mouth. Hide your gut. Don’t be ‘unladylike’.
That’s why it’s so cathartic to see manners thrown out the window. These yobs on my telly are not ashamed of their bodies. If we extend that logic, maybe there’s nothing wrong with my own.
I only wish that, growing up, I got to see women and girls join in the revolting games. Luckily, women have now been welcomed into the Jackass family. Equality isn’t always solemn and serious.
Sometimes it’s comedian Rachel Wolfson copping a paint cannon to the face. Jackass is best when it embraces joy in its simplest form. As a writer, I burn a lot of energy worrying how I can appear smart and funny.
I chase my puppy dog tail until I’m bound in a ball of pretension. Metaphor this, simile that, blah blah blah. If only I remembered Jackass sooner.
These guys have it figured out. Because there’s something undeniably funny about watching a mate stack it. Think about it: when your friend falls down, your first instinct is to double over laughing.
And if it’s not, you are a liar. I see you, suppressing your giggle. You know that’s comedy gold right there.
If you’re at all sceptical about the raw power Jackass brings, you need to watch my favourite prank, “the high five”. It is comedy distilled to its purest form. The boys call a friend to join them in the workplace kitchenette.
Unbeknown to them, they are about to be smacked to the ground by the cartoonishly giant hand hiding around the corner. I’ve dedicated my life to the written word and making people laugh, and I’m content knowing nothing I ever do will be as good or as funny as ‘big hand make man fall down’. You can’t help but feel good when you see a group of friends cracking each other up (literally and figuratively).
Rewatching clips this week has made me laugh out loud several times. Giving myself permission to feel happy without needing to intellectualise it has been life-changing. One can shake off the layers of irony and nonchalance required when one’s job is to use words to examine the world.
Man bonk head. Ball hit groin. Funny! I can just be, with Jackass and me.
I don’t know if we’ll ever have another Jackass . I don’t know if we should ever have another Jackass . But I’m glad we have this Jackass .
It’s a stinky little treasure that I carry with me, reminding me happiness can be simple, if you’ll let it be. To read more from Spectrum , visit our page here . Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own.
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