Johnny Knoxville
American stunt performer and actor (born 1971)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971[1]), known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show Jackass (2000–2001) and its subsequent movies.
March 11, 1971
- Stunt performer
- actor
- producer
- writer
Johnny Knoxville | |
|---|---|
Knoxville in 2010 | |
| Born | Philip John Clapp March 11, 1971 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouses | Melanie Cates
(m. 1995; div. 2008)Naomi Nelson
(m. 2010; div. 2024)Emily Ting (m. 2025) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Roger Alan Wade (cousin) |
Following the conclusion of Jackass, Knoxville and his co-stars returned for the first installment in the Jackass film series, with a second and third installment released in 2006, and 2010, respectively. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013), the first film in the series to feature a storyline, saw him star as his Jackass character Irving Zisman. The fourth main installment, Jackass Forever, was released in 2022. Jackass: Best and Last is set for theatrical release in 2026.[2] It will be the last Jackass movie.[3]
Knoxville has had acting roles in films Men in Black II (2002), Grand Theft Parsons (2003), A Dirty Shame and Walking Tall (both 2004), The Dukes of Hazzard, The Ringer, and a cameo role as a sleazy corporate president of a skateboard company in Lords of Dogtown (all 2005), The Last Stand (2013), Skiptrace (2016), and the television series Reboot (2022). He also voiced Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).
Early life
Knoxville was born Philip John Clapp in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 11, 1971,[4][5] the son of Sunday school teacher Lemoyne (née Houck) and car and tire salesman Philip Clapp.[6][7][8] He has two older sisters.[9] Knoxville has compared his father to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: "when he's not drunk, he was amazing, super funny. But when he was drinking it was total hell."[10] Hanging out in his father's tire store, Knoxville would watch his dad play pranks on the "crazy characters" who worked for him.[11] When he was fourteen his cousin, singer-songwriter Roger Alan Wade, gave him a copy of Jack Kerouac's book On the Road. He credits this with sparking his interest in acting.[12][13]
Knoxville attended South-Young High School (now South-Doyle High School) in Knoxville, where he played on the baseball team and was named All-Knoxville Interscholastic League Honorable Mention. He also played in the Knoxville Area All Star game as a pitcher.[14][15] After graduating in 1989, he moved to California to become an actor. He began appearing in commercials and as an extra,[16] including a job as Keanu Reeves's stand-in on the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker's Dracula.[17] When the breakthrough role he sought eluded him, he decided to create his own opportunities by writing and pitching article ideas to various magazines. An idea to test self-defense equipment on himself captured the interest of Jeff Tremaine's skateboarding magazine Big Brother, and the stunts were filmed and included in Big Brother's "Number Two" video.
Career
Jackass
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Knoxville is responsible for many of the ideas in Jackass, and is often seen as the de facto leader of the crew.[18] The show is directed by Jeff Tremaine, who produced a pilot that used footage from Big Brother and Bam Margera's CKY videos.
With help from Tremaine's friend, film director Spike Jonze, they pitched a series to various networks. A deal was made with MTV and Jackass was born.[19] He starred in Jackass: The Movie (2002), Jackass Number Two (2006), Jackass 2.5 (2007), Jackass 3D (2010), Jackass 3.5 (2011), Jackass Forever (2022), and Jackass 4.5 (2022). He will also star in Jackass: Best and Last, which is set to release June 26, 2026.[2] It will also be the last Jackass film.[3]
Knoxville also participated in the Gumball 3000 for Jackass along with co-stars Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, producer Trip Taylor, cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich, and cameraman Greg "Guch" Iguchi. Prior to Jackass premiering on MTV, Knoxville and company turned down an offer to perform their stunts for Saturday Night Live on a weekly basis,[20] though Knoxville later hosted a 2005 episode of the show.
Acting
Knoxville's original leading role debut was set to be a holiday comedy released in late 2001 named The Tree but the project never came to fruition.[21] Knoxville has been in several feature films, such as The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) and playing a two-headed alien in Men in Black II (2002). Knoxville also worked with John Waters in A Dirty Shame (2004), and appeared as a supporting character to The Rock in Walking Tall that same year.
He starred in Katrina Holden Bronson's Daltry Calhoun in 2005, and in The Ringer as an office worker who pretends to be disabled and joins the Special Olympics to pay for surgery for his office's janitor. He starred in the movie Lords of Dogtown as Topper Burks, made a minor appearance in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly, and was featured as a guest voice on two episodes of King of the Hill.
Knoxville appeared in the John Madden-directed adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel, Killshot, however, his character was subsequently removed from the final cut of the film. He guest-starred in a season 3 episode "Prank Wars" on Viva La Bam, in which he and Ryan Dunn trashed Bam Margera's Hummer and performed other pranks. He voiced himself in an episode of Family Guy. He co-produced The Dudesons in America and the now-canceled Nitro Circus on MTV.
In 2010, Knoxville hosted a three-part online video for Palladium Boots titled Detroit Lives. The videos focus on the resurgence of creativity in Detroit. Knoxville guest-starred as the voice of Johnny Krill, an extreme sports enthusiast, in "Extreme Spots", a 2012 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. Knoxville voiced Leonardo in the 2014 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles[22] but did not appear in the sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.[23]
Production credits
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Knoxville has a production company called Dickhouse Productions, which he owns and operates with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze of the Jackass franchise.[24] Dickhouse's projects include The Birth of Big Air (2010), a documentary about Mat Hoffman that was part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, and The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2010), both of which have been picked up by Tribeca Films.[25]
In May 2014, Knoxville (along with Jackass Executive Producer/H.M.F.I.C. Derek Freda) formally announced the formation of a new production company called 'Hello Junior', which will continue Knoxville's now-longstanding relationship with Paramount Pictures, who have signed an exclusive two-year first-look deal with Knoxville and 'Hello Junior' in the wake of the massive success of Bad Grandpa in late 2013. Knoxville was quoted as saying, "I am over the damn moon about continuing an amazing partnership with Paramount Pictures. I have many more films to make and bones to break. I am glad I will be doing it for Paramount."[26]
Professional wrestling
Knoxville first appeared on WWE television on the October 13, 2008, episode of Raw, where he was involved in a feud with The Great Khali.[27] He was featured as a Raw guest host on October 4, 2010.[27][28]
In 2022, Knoxville was involved in a feud with Sami Zayn.[29] He participated in the annual Royal Rumble match in January, where he was quickly eliminated by Zayn.[30] This led to an "Anything Goes" match at WrestleMania 38 in April, where Knoxville defeated Zayn with the help of several Jackass crew members.[31]
Podcast
Knoxville stepped into the world of podcasting in April of 2024 with his show "Pretty Sure I Can Fly with Johnny Knoxville & Elna Baker".[32]
He will also host an official Jackass podcast titled Jackass: The Podcast, along with Jackass director and producer Jeff Tremaine. The first episode will air on June 18, 2026.[33]
Personal life
Knoxville married Melanie Lynn Cates on May 15, 1995. Their daughter was born on January 4, 1996.[34] She can be heard in the credits for Jackass Number Two (2006), is seen in "The Making of Jackass Two" on the special features on the DVD, and was seen punching Tremaine with a boxing glove in the credits of Jackass 3D (2010). After 11 years of marriage, Knoxville and Cates separated in July 2006. Knoxville filed for divorce on July 3, 2007.[34] The marriage legally ended in March 2008,[35] with final divorce arrangements settled in July 2009.[36]
On February 4, 2009, Knoxville explained on The Howard Stern Show that he tore his urethra during a stunt for Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel (2008), describing how he had to flush it twice daily.[37] He said this was done by "sticking a tube into [his] penis all the way up to [his] bladder", a practice known as urinary catheterization. He said the process prevented scar tissue from forming[38] and that he performed the procedure "twice a day for three and a half years" after the injury.[39]
In December 2009, Knoxville's girlfriend Naomi Nelson gave birth to their son.[40] Knoxville and Nelson married on September 24, 2010.[41] Nelson gave birth to their second child together, a daughter, in October 2011.[42] On June 17, 2022, it was reported that Knoxville had filed for divorce.[43]
While filming the prank show The Prank Panel in December 2022, Knoxville was sued by handyman Khalil Khan, who alleged that he was subjected to a "terrifying ordeal" after signing up for a job on TaskRabbit.[44][45] He was sued again in May 2024 for allegedly tazing a segment producer during the filming of The Prank Panel.[46]
In November 2025, Johnny Knoxville married his long-term partner, costume designer Emily Ting. The wedding was officiated by John Waters.[47]
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Desert Blues | Bob | |
| 1998 | Number Two: Big Brother | Himself (uncredited) | Direct-to-video |
| 1999 | boob | Himself | Direct-to-video |
| 2000 | Coyote Ugly | College Guy | |
| 2001 | Crap: Big Brother | Himself (uncredited) | Direct-to-video |
| Don't Try This at Home: The Steve-O Video | Himself | Direct-to-video Guest appearances | |
| CKY3 | Himself | Direct-to-video Guest appearances | |
| 2002 | Life Without Dick | Dick Rasmusson | |
| Big Trouble | Eddie Leadbetter | ||
| Deuces Wild | Vinnie 'Fish' | ||
| Men in Black II | Scrad / Charlie | ||
| Jackass: The Movie | Himself / Irving Zisman | Writer and producer | |
| CKY4: The Latest & Greatest | Himself | Direct-to-video Guest appearances | |
| Don't Try This at Home: The Steve-O Video Vol. 2: The Tour | Himself | Cameo Direct-to-video | |
| 2003 | Grand Theft Parsons | Phil Kaufman | |
| 2004 | Walking Tall | Deputy Ray Templeton | |
| A Dirty Shame | Ray 'Ray-Ray' Perkins | ||
| Steve-O: The Early Years | Himself | Direct-to-video documentary | |
| 2005 | Lords of Dogtown | Topper Burks | |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | Luke Duke | ||
| Daltry Calhoun | Daltry Calhoun | ||
| The Ringer | Steve Barker / Jeffie | ||
| 2006 | Ultimate Predator | Himself | Direct-to-video Guest appearances |
| Jackass Number Two | Himself / Irving Zisman | Writer and producer | |
| 2007 | Jackass 2.5 | ||
| The Man Who Souled the World | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2008 | Killshot | Ferris Britton | Scenes deleted |
| Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel | Himself | Direct-to-video Executive producer | |
| 2009 | Jackass: The Lost Tapes | Direct-to-video | |
| 2010 | Father of Invention | Troy Coangelo | |
| Jackass 3D | Himself / Irving Zisman | Writer and producer | |
| 2011 | Jackass 3.5 | ||
| 2012 | Nitro Circus: The Movie | Himself | Guest appearances |
| Nature Calls | Kirk | ||
| Fun Size | Jörgen | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | The Last Stand | Lewis Dinkum | |
| Movie 43 | Pete | ||
| Small Apartments | Tommy Balls | ||
| Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa | Irving Zisman | Writer and producer | |
| 2014 | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5 | Himself / Irving Zisman | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Leonardo | Voice | |
| 2015 | Being Evel | Himself | Producer Documentary |
| 2016 | Elvis & Nixon | Sonny West | |
| Skiptrace | Connor Watts | ||
| 2017 | Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine | Himself | Documentary |
| 2018 | Half Magic | Father Gary | |
| Weightless | Ed | ||
| Action Point | Deshawn Crious 'D.C.' Carver | Writer and producer | |
| Rosy | James | ||
| The Great Buster: A Celebration | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2019 | Polar | Michael Green | |
| Above Suspicion | Cash | ||
| We Summon the Darkness | Pastor John Henry Butler | ||
| 2020 | Steve-O: Gnarly | Himself | Direct-to-video Guest appearance |
| Mainstream | Ted Wick | ||
| 2022 | Jackass Forever | Himself / Irving Zisman | Writer and producer |
| Jackass 4.5 | |||
| 2024 | Sweet Dreams | Morris | Executive producer |
| Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie | Randy Cheeks | Voice | |
| The Luckiest Man in America | Leon Hart | ||
| 2026 | I Want Your Sex | TBA | |
| Jackass: Best and Last | Himself | Writer and producer | |
| TBA | The Marshmallow Experiment | Will | Post-production |
| The Brandon Novak Story | Himself | Documentary | |
| The Young People | TBA | Post-production | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Ben Stiller Show | Cure Fan | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Big Brother | Himself | |
| 2000–2001 | Jackass | Himself | Co-creator Executive producer |
| 2001 | The Andy Dick Show | Wannabe Andy Dick | 2 episodes |
| 2001 MTV Video Music Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2001 MTV Movie Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2002 | Jackass Backyard BBQ | Himself | TV special Executive producer |
| MTV Cribs | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2002 MTV Video Music Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2002 MTV Movie Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2002 | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2003 | Player$ | Himself | 1 episode |
| Australian Idol | Himself | Special guest appearance | |
| 2003–2006 | Wildboyz | Himself | 10 episodes |
| 2004 | Cooking Channel | Himself | |
| Viva La Bam | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | 1 episode |
| Jackass: Gumball 3000 Rally Special | Himself | TV special Executive producer | |
| 2005 MTV Movie Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2006 | King of the Hill | Peter Sterling | Voice 1 episode |
| 2006 MTV Video Music Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2006 | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2007 | Adventures in Hollyhood | Himself | |
| 2008 | WWE Raw | Himself | 1 episode |
| Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover | Himself | TV special Executive producer | |
| Family Guy | Himself | Voice Episode: "The Man with Two Brians" | |
| King of the Hill | Hoyt Platter | Voice 1 episode | |
| Unhitched | Chuck | ||
| 2009 | Dogg After Dark | Himself | |
| Dancing with the Stars | Himself | 3 episodes | |
| Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Nitro Circus | Himself | 10 episodes Co-creator and executive producer | |
| Steve-O: Demise and Rise | Himself | TV movie documentary | |
| The Goode Family | Dean Stansel | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | The Dudesons | Himself | 1 episode |
| The Dudesons in America | Himself | 3 episodes Producer | |
| WWE Raw | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards | Himself | Presenter | |
| 2011 | Ridiculousness | Himself | 1 episode |
| A Tribute to Ryan Dunn | Himself | TV documentary Executive producer | |
| 2012–2024 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Johnny Krill, Randy Cheeks | Voice 2 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Loiter Squad | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Conan | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Guys Choice | Himself | Winner Guycon award |
| Maron | Himself | 1 episode | |
| CKY: The Greatest Hits | Himself | TV special | |
| 2014–2018 | Drunk History | Various | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Epicly Later'd: Bam Margera | Himself | TV documentary |
| 2020 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | C.J. | Special: "Kimmy vs the Reverend" |
| 2021 | Jackass Shark Week | Himself | TV special Executive producer |
| WWE SmackDown | Himself | 1 episode Guest appearance | |
| 2022 | UFC 270 | Himself | Audience member |
| WWE Day 1 | Himself | video link | |
| Royal Rumble | Himself | Royal Rumble Participant | |
| Ridiculousness | Himself | 1 episode | |
| WrestleMania 38 | Himself | Participant | |
| The Orville | Actor No. 2 | 1 episode | |
| Jackass Shark Week 2.0[48] | Himself | TV special Executive producer | |
| Reboot | Clay Barber | Main cast | |
| Celebrity Family Feud[49] | Himself | Participant Episode 9.11 | |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II[50][51] | Grigori Rasputin | 3 episodes |
| Agent Elvis | Bobby Ray | Voice | |
| The Prank Panel[52][53] | Himself | Host Executive producer | |
| Ride with Norman Reedus[54] | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2025 | The Studio | Himself | 1 episode |
| The Last Frontier | S.T. Covington | 3 episodes | |
| It's Florida, Man | Timmy the Tweaker | Episode: "Moonshine" | |
| The Simpsons | Himself | Voice Episode: "¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!" | |
| 2026 | Fear Factor: House of Fear | Himself | Host |
| The Masked Singer | Himself | 1 episode |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Jackass: The Game | Himself | Voice and motion capture |
| 2022 | Jackass Human Slingshot | Himself | Voice Mobile game |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Track | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | CKY | "Flesh Into Gear" | Himself | Archived footage |
| Andrew W.K. | "We Want Fun" | Himself | ||
| 2003 | Roger Alan Wade | "If You're Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough" | Himself | Cameraman |
| 2006 | Wolfmother | "Joker & the Thief" | Himself | |
| Chris Pontius | “Karazy” | Himself | ||
| 2010 | Weezer | "Memories" | Himself | |
| 2022 | French Cassettes | "On/Off" | Heist Boss | |
| Queen Kwong | "Sad Man" | Lieutenant |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Jackass Reunion: 15 Years Later[55] | Himself | Rolling Stone special |
| 2018 | Hot Ones[56] | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Actually Me[57] | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Sneaker Shopping[58] | Himself | 1 episode |
| Battle Scars[59] | Himself | 1 episode | |
| According to Google[60] | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Steve-O's Wild Ride![61] | Himself | Podcast 1 episode | |
| Autocomplete Interview[62] | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?[63] | Himself | 1 episode | |
| The Shittiest Podcast[64] | Himself | Podcast 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Steve-O's Wild Ride![65] | Himself | Podcast 1 episode |
| Pretty Sure I Can Fly | Himself | Host Podcast | |
| 2024 | TigerBelly[66] | Himself | Podcast 1 episode |
| 2026 | Last Meals[67] | Himself | 1 episode |
| Let It Kill You: Jeff Tremaine | Himself | Documentary | |
| Jackass: The Podcast | Himself | Host |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Personality | Jackass | Nominated |
| 2003 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Comedic Performance | Jackass: The Movie | Nominated |
| Best On-Screen Team | Jackass: The Movie (shared) | Nominated | ||
| Best Fight | Johnny Knoxville vs. Butterbean Jackass: The Movie | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Sleazebag | Lords of Dogtown | Nominated |
| 2006 | MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Team | The Dukes of Hazzard (shared) | Nominated |
| 2014 | American Comedy Awards | Comedy Actor Film | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards | #WTF Moment | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (shared) | Nominated | |
| Best Comedic Performance | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa | Nominated | |
| 2022 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Comedic Performance | Jackass Forever | Nominated |
