Steve-O earned less than $1,500 for his entire first season on the groundbreaking series that launched his career to international prominence, the 52-year-old stuntman has revealed. In a recent interview, Steve-O disclosed the surprisingly modest compensation he received despite the show’s soaring popularity and strong ratings for the network.The revelation is particularly striking because Steve-O was homeless and unemployed when the series premiered on October 1, 2000. “Before the show came out, my sister kicked me out of the house. I was broke, unemployed, and homeless, and a star on this big show,” he said to Playboy magazine, highlighting the cruel irony of his situation.
The shocking reality of season 1 compensation
Steve-O’s pay was calculated on a per-stunt basis rather than per episode, which he characterised as “comical.” After five days of filming, during which he was bitten by a shark and suffered multiple injuries, he wrote down what he expected to be paid. For the shark bite that left a scar on his finger, he received $500.
The stunt performer shared that he was homeless, unemployed and struggling financially when Jackass first premiered in 2000.image credit (Steve-O Instagram)
“When it was all said and done, after taxes, I was paid less than $1,500 for the entire first season,” he revealed. “After five days of filming, I was all banged up, hungover, had been bitten by a shark, and I pulled out a piece of paper to write down what I felt really needed to be on the show. At the top, I wrote ‘Goldfish,’ and I thought, while I’m at it, I might as well put what I expect to be paid. Next to ‘Goldfish,’ I literally wrote $200.“
The difference between being famous and being rich
His overnight fame contrasted sharply with his real financial situation.” That’s one of the first things I learned about fame: It comes a lot easier than fortune,” Steve-O reflected on the experience.
Steve-O’s path to ‘Jackass’ and financial desperation
Before becoming a breakthrough star, Steve-O worked as an amateur stuntman, creating skateboard trick videos. In 1997, he burned his face while attempting a fire-breathing backflip for the skateboarding publication Big Brother, establishing himself as someone willing to endure significant physical risk for entertainment.He then enrolled in Ringling Bros. Clown College as a strategic move to gain legitimacy.” The only reason I even thought to go to Clown College was to further my goal of becoming a crazy-famous stuntman. I had been homeless for three years, got zero traction, and I thought, all right, if I can graduate from Ringling Bros. Clown College, then I’m a trained circus professional,” he explained.His background in clown performance, combined with his willingness to perform dangerous stunts, made him an ideal fit for the series creators. “The fact that I was a clown endeared me to the people who started Jackass. It was organic,” Steve-O said.
As Jackass: Best and Last prepares for release, Steve-O reflects on the franchise’s legacy and the unforgettable journey that shaped his career.image credit (Steve-O Instagram)
Steve-O on the final chapter of ‘Jackass’
Now, more than two decades later, Steve-O and his fellow cast members are preparing to close the chapter on the franchise that made them household names. The fifth and final instalment, titled ‘Jackass: Best and Last’, will consist of previously unreleased footage that was not permitted to be shown in earlier releases.Steve-O confirmed the finality of this project, stating that the franchise’s conclusion is “one-hundred per cent” definitive. “Jackass 5 is a compilation of footage that never made it to the final cuts of previous instalments because they previously weren’t allowed to be shown. I genuinely don’t know why it’s allowed now, but it’s in here,” he explained.
Steve-O’s emotional reflection on the franchise’s legacy
He expressed deep emotion about what the franchise has meant to him and his castmates. “I had my own little private screening in the edit bay last week, and I was beyond moved. Like, wow. What I was a part of. What I am a part of. It’s insane,” he reflected on viewing the final instalment.Steve-O described the final project as “finding a home for such messed-up content that never had a home, and one last hurrah of all of us getting together and doing whatever we have in us to do.”The closing of the franchise represents the end of an era in entertainment history, one that transformed stunt performers from fringe performers into mainstream celebrities, even as the financial realities of that early success told a more complicated story.The film ‘Jackass: Best and Last’ is scheduled to arrive in theatres on June 26.
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