Millennials can bond over a number of experiences, and the chaos that was early 2000s MTV is certainly one of them. Reality stunt/prank shows like Jackass and Viva La Bam were pretty much cultural norms, and their insanely dangerous antics were the center of a number of schoolyard conversations. Almost 20 years later, Jackass Forever star Johnny Knoxville reflects on the time he broke his penis while performing one of these stunts, and it really is a wonder why he keeps getting back on the metaphorical horse.
Johnny Knoxville thought back to his broken member during an interview with Variety, saying it really turned out to be no big deal. Honestly, I think a whole population of males would disagree there, but apparently the unfortunate injury could have been a lot worse. Here’s what the potential WWE Royal Rumble star says about his previous injury to his “gym dog,” exactly:
I broke my gym dog a number of years ago. That’s been well documented. So much has been said about so little. … The doctor said a couple centimeters down and it would’ve been out of commission. But I’ve had two children since then, so it’s in great working order. That’s too much information.
While it might indeed be a little too much information, it’s also nice to know that acting silly and doing crazy stunts didn’t stop the star from expanding his line. While he had a daughter before the incident, we went on to have a son and another little girl not too long after the incident.
The stunt in question was one in which Johnny Knoxville channeled his inner Evel Knievel with a big dirt bike jump. Even though he had professional BMX rider Mat Hoffman to walk him through the process, Knoxville still crashed and burned on the stunt, his bike coming down on him after the failed jump. Unfortunately, the bike fell on his manhood and broke his urethra.
Now that he's all healed up there, he's probably pretty conscious about that area in particular while performing stunts. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken a tumble or two more recently, though, because he has landed himself in the hospital a number of times while filming the upcoming Jackass Forever. The injuries probably weren't nearly as traumatizing as breaking a penis, but the sacrifices to his health have still earned him the props of his co star Steve-O, as he called him the backbone of the franchise.
While the upcoming fourth and final installment in the film series will feature some of the original gang, there will be some missing faces as well. Ryan Dunn sadly passed away back in 2011, and this will be the first film he will have missed. He definitely leaves a void that surely will be noticed by longtime fans. Bam Margera will also not be a part of the project (well, maybe a little bit), and the slight has not gone unnoticed by the franchise staple and Viva La Bam star. In fact, Margera has even sued Johnny Knoxville and company over the exclusion.
Jackass Forever is set to release in theaters on Feb. 4. While it may be missing some key faces, and won’t have such a devastating injury such as a broken penis associated with it, the film has promised to remain true to it’s chaotic roots (I mean, there's a bull involved), and wild stuntman Johnny Knoxville will definitely be front and center for a lot of them.
