In the late ’90s, Johnny Knoxville was chomping at the bit to break into show business.
In addition to cutting his teeth appearing in commercials and writing for magazines, he was auditioning for roles in films and pitching to various entertainment outlets.
Among his wild pitches was one that caught the attention of Jeff Tremaine at Big Brother, a skateboard-themed magazine notorious for boundary-pushing and downright gross-out content.
Committed to the idea of writing an article about testing self-defense equipment on himself, Knoxville, along with Tremaine and filmmaker Spike Jonze, began hashing out a concept for a potential TV series showcasing Big Brother‘s sensibilities via stunts, pranks, and generally naughty behavior.
That series would ultimately become MTV’s Jackass.
But before the hit show got off the ground, Knoxville was offered the opportunity to join a different kind of comedy series, forcing a decision that forever altered his career.
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