In the early 2000s, the world was confronted with a new type of television like nothing it had ever seen before, however,Jackass’journey from fringe to mainstream is a story like few others that mainly involves a group of ordinary friends with extraordinary creative ambitions.
That is because the unique charmJackasspossesses is perhaps best exemplified by an episode ofThe Simpsons, “A Star is Burns”, where Homer finds himself mesmerized by the filmmaking wonder that that is “Man Getting hit by Football” (aka “Football in the Groin”). Although the 1995 episode predatesJackass’release, its entertainment value mimics the same artistry Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius and other Big Brother Magazine staff writers were looking to create when they started filming thestunts that would go on to becomeJackass.
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A Dumb Big Brother
BeforeJackasslanded on MTV, part of the main cast worked together in Big Brother Magazine, a skateboarding publication from the 90s that championed the skater culture and eventually branched off into making feature videos. These productions would eventually lead Knoxville, then an aspiring actor and writer, to start filming the type ofpainfulJackassstunts he is known for, such as volunteering as target practice to test lethal and non-lethal weaponry.
Combined with Tremaine’s filmmaking aspirations, the Big Brother crew started filming content that would draw attention from several television studios, with MTV ultimately winning the right to the show. Before that though,Jackasshad to find two missing components, the first of those being Bam Margera, who at the time was trying to make it for himself as skateboarder with the CKY crew (Brandon DiCamillo, Raab Himself, and the late Ryan Dunn) over in Pennsylvania.
Margera would also start doing enough stunts to catch Big Brother’s attention, and after immediately saying yes upon being invited, all that was missing was the right connections. Luckily, Tremaine was a long time friend of film director Spike Jonze, who was just fresh off his breakthrough debut withBeing John Malkovich, as well as directing several music videos before that.
While at first glance one would not typically associate someone like Jonze withJackass, the award-winning director gained part of his filmmaking mastery by shooting skateboarding videos in the 80s and 90s. Jonze’s influence became evident not only in the entire sport but also in the style of his friend Tremaine, nevertheless, it was his connections that helpedJackassland a spot on MTV for the show’s very successful run from 2000 to 2003.
Too Big For Television
Jackasswas an instant success on MTV, and yet the show was a victim of its own success as calls for self-censorship and studio intervention ultimately led to Tremaine, Knoxville, and the rest of the crew to become uncomfortable with growing restrictions from the network. The writing was on the wall for everyone to see that ifJackasswas to continue doing its thing, it’d have to make the jump from television to film, where its R rating would help the team realize their painful creative ambitions.
As on TV,Jackass: The Moviewas an instant hit, turning a huge profit for all parties involved, a goal every singleJackassmovie has easily achieved,despite the cast’s massive medical bills. It’s easy to dismiss Jackass as simply dumb entertainment, yet behind the franchise is a real team of creators who created what would likely be YouTube content in a later stage of the internet’s evolution, several years before the site even existed.
In the 2000sJackassfound its way toTony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Tremaine and Jonze grew even further as filmmakers and producers,Knoxville became the film star he always wantedto be, while the entirety of theJackasscrew plied their trade on several fronts, whether it’d be as comedians or something else. There was a huge demand for the unique genre these men created, and the fact that in 2022Jackass Forevercan still own the box officeproves that the need for audiences to be able to enjoy an incredibly stupid film is still out there.
Success, however, often comes at a high cost with Ryan Dunn’s battles with injuries and depression sadly leading to his death; whereas his best friend Bam Margera has lived a rough life that’s seen him battle alcohol abuse and becomeostracized from the finalJackassinstallment. Conversely, the close relationships that formed between these guys have also become hope for others, such as Steve-O whose own battles with alcoholism and substance abuse resulted in an intervention from hisJackassfriends that potentially saved his life.
Jackass’rise to the very top of entertainment is just like many other creators, artists, and companies’ journey: it’s the tale of a few individuals that dared to do what no one else had done before them, no matter how painful or gross heir pursuit of greatness turned out to be. Beneath all the stupidity are years of work and the subtle influences of great minds like Charlie Chaplin, Hunter S. Thompson, Evil Knievel,and even theLooney Tunes, all of which should be celebrated as these great men retire after two decades of making people laugh at their expense.
