The latest Jackass film is leaving plenty of viewers stunned, with one especially extreme stunt reportedly causing some people to gag — and even walk out of screenings.
Anyone familiar with the Jackass TV series or the first four movies will already know Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the crew have built their reputation on outrageous, often revolting chaos.
Of course, the franchise has never been only about gross-out moments. A lot of the material is flat-out dangerous, and few people understand that better than Knoxville, who suffered serious injuries while filming 2022’s Jackass Forever.
During one notorious stunt, Knoxville was launched into the air by an angry bull. The aftermath was severe, leaving him with brain damage as well as broken ribs and a broken wrist.
Later speaking to Howard Stern about the ordeal, Knoxville said: “Yeah, I got a brain haemorrhage from that. So my cognitive abilities were in steep decline after that hit.”
He added (per NME): “No one in my family is happy with the stunts. The bull hit was the worst hit I’ve ever taken from a bull, or maybe period.”
That experience reportedly meant Knoxville had to be more careful about what he could take part in for Jackass Forever. Anything involving a possible blow to the head was apparently off the table.
One bit that avoided head contact, but definitely not disgust, was the segment known as the ‘human pretzel’. According to reports, the setup involved Twister, laxatives and see-through underwear — which gives a pretty good idea of the direction things went.
By the sound of it, that scene pushed things beyond even what regular cinema audiences were prepared for. Some viewers said they were physically gagging, while others reportedly decided they had seen enough and headed for the exit.
Sharing their thoughts on Twitter, one person wrote: “New Jackass has a poop bit that is probably the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in a movie theater.”
“The ‘human pretzel’ from the latest Jackass is the closest I’ve ever gotten to throwing up at a movie,” said a second.
Somebody else’s review read: “My thoughts on the latest Jackass movie… waaaay too much fecal mater and butt stuff.
“I prefer the more ‘normal’ stunts and pranks. Plus, it felt like their hearts and broken bodies weren’t really into it anymore.”
Not everyone was put off, though. At least one viewer admitted the movie had them retching more than once, while still calling it extremely funny.
A different person admitted that the movie left them ‘gagging several times’, but they still found it ‘absolutely hilarious’.
Another person who seemingly enjoyed the disgustingness of Jackass Forever wrote: “Jackass Forever is a f**king riot, but holy hell is it disgusting.
“It does suck that it is partly a clip show of, but when you are laughing as hard as you will at certain scenes again you won’t notice. Great send off to some of the most insane individuals on the planet.”
So if you are planning to see it, it may be wiser to go before dinner rather than after.
If that reaction sounds intense, it fits with a franchise that has spent years testing the limits of pain and nausea. Over time, several stunts have become infamous among fans for being especially brutal.
One of the simplest concepts also turned out to be one of the hardest to watch. Ryan Dunn gave Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O paper cuts with an envelope in painfully sensitive spots, including between their toes, between their fingers and, most memorably, on the tip of Steve-O’s tongue.
Even for a production used to blood, vomit and other bodily horrors, that one reportedly had members of the camera crew throwing up.
Another unforgettable moment came in the 2002 movie, when Ryan Dunn inserted a toy car sealed inside a lubricated condom into his rectum.
He then visited a proctologist while pretending it was the result of a fraternity prank, and after a scan confirmed exactly what was lodged there, the stunned response from the medical staff was secretly captured.
The embarrassment level was apparently so high that the doctor advised Dunn to go straight to the hospital and keep quiet about what had happened.
Then there was one of the most painful-looking stunts the crew ever attempted.
As the title of the stunt suggests, for Jackass Number Two Ehren McGhehey allowed his ‘crooked’ tooth to be yanked out on a piece of string that was attached to a Lamborghini, which of course set off at significant speed.
Speaking to GQ a decade after the horrifying stunt, McGhehey said that the stunt ‘broke my face all the way up to my eyeball’.
“It took nine months to heal.”
Steve-O’s ‘Poo Cocktail Supreme’ remains a strong contender for the grossest thing the series has ever filmed. He was strapped inside a portable toilet attached to a bungee system, then sent flying while the contents splashed all over him.
Yes, that meant he emerged covered from head to toe in filth, and the sight of it reportedly made crew members vomit on the spot.
Steve-O later revealed to journalist Graham Bensinger that due to health and safety, they used dog poop instead of human… as if that makes things any better?!
And when it comes to pure danger, the 2006 bullring stunt still stands out. Knoxville joined fellow cast members Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn and Bam Margera on a teeter-totter inside an enclosure with an enraged bull.
Although animal rights group PETA criticized the production for repeatedly using animals for entertainment, it remains one of the wildest set pieces the crew ever attempted.
After the others managed to scatter, Knoxville was left alone and took the worst of it, getting violently smashed against the teeter-totter’s frame before narrowly escaping.