People Who Were Severely Damaged By Jackass

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Steve-O has been sober for more than a decade, but "Jackass" nearly killed him — and not just the stunts. The show's hard-and-fast lifestyle enabled his descent into risky substance use, something he'd been navigating since childhood. On the show, Steve-O was undeniably fearless, seemingly performing every stunt thrown his way. Off the show, he lived by the same principles.

The stuntman started drinking before the age of 12 when his mother gave him "just a little bit of booze" to quell his crying, he admitted during an appearance on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger." Though he was already into drugs and alcohol before "Jackass," GQ reports that he got "heavier into both," trying ketamine, nitrous, and PCP. At one point, he even drank aluminum cleaner. "That would bring about some pretty disturbing incidents," he told Besinger. At the height of his addiction, Steve-O found himself barging into his drug dealer's home and snorting cocaine that he knew was contaminated with HIV-positive blood (though he didn't contract the virus).

"Jackass" almost killed Steve-O, but it also saved him. According to Access, everything changed when he sent an email that "hinted at [suicide]" to a handful of his closest friends. Johnny Knoxville staged an intervention, and (barring a 2008 relapse) the star has been sober ever since.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7XCpKCsr5mbwW%2BvzqZmbWpkbX13e8%2BepqmklWLEqbuMsJyrnV2osrex0Z6jsmWUlrqis8SdZJuxXZ%2BupLfArKpo