Johnny Knoxville's extensive history of pain and suffering in the name of his art has been well-documented, and while breaking your dick certainly sounds like a less-than-ideal circumstance, the Jackass star's latest bit of hurt sounds a great deal worse.
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show this week (January 25) ahead of Jackass Forever landing in theatres next month (February 4), Knoxville revealed that a fall suffered during a bull running stunt — a piece of which can be seen in the film's first trailer — left him with a brain hemorrhage, as well as a broken wrist and ribs.
Knoxville called it "the worst hit I've ever taken," and explained to Stern just how bad the brain injury was, recalling, "I remember taking some tests. The neurosurgeon said, 'Do you have trouble paying attention right now?' I said, 'Yeah, why?' He goes, 'Because you scored a 17 on [your attention].' That's out of 100."
He continued: "I had to go under all these type of treatments... this transcranial magnetic stimulation, which they buzz your head with these magnets for about 30 minutes at a time for like... I would say 10 to 12 treatments over a series of two months and it's supposed to help with depression and help with my cognitive skills. It was a tough one to come back from. I was trying to edit the movie at the time but I couldn't sit still."
Knoxville also shared how the latest blow to his head led to depression, an effect he says he had never experienced with prior stunts. "I can't take any more hits to the head," he noted. "My brain was just playing tricks on me. I got really depressed and over-focused on things… I did have to start medication for the first time in my life. It completely turned me around – that and doing therapy."
Ahead of Jackass Forever's arrival in theatres, Knoxville told Stern that he now feels "the healthiest I've ever been." You can watch him reflect on his head trauma below.
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show this week (January 25) ahead of Jackass Forever landing in theatres next month (February 4), Knoxville revealed that a fall suffered during a bull running stunt — a piece of which can be seen in the film's first trailer — left him with a brain hemorrhage, as well as a broken wrist and ribs.
Knoxville called it "the worst hit I've ever taken," and explained to Stern just how bad the brain injury was, recalling, "I remember taking some tests. The neurosurgeon said, 'Do you have trouble paying attention right now?' I said, 'Yeah, why?' He goes, 'Because you scored a 17 on [your attention].' That's out of 100."
He continued: "I had to go under all these type of treatments... this transcranial magnetic stimulation, which they buzz your head with these magnets for about 30 minutes at a time for like... I would say 10 to 12 treatments over a series of two months and it's supposed to help with depression and help with my cognitive skills. It was a tough one to come back from. I was trying to edit the movie at the time but I couldn't sit still."
Knoxville also shared how the latest blow to his head led to depression, an effect he says he had never experienced with prior stunts. "I can't take any more hits to the head," he noted. "My brain was just playing tricks on me. I got really depressed and over-focused on things… I did have to start medication for the first time in my life. It completely turned me around – that and doing therapy."
Ahead of Jackass Forever's arrival in theatres, Knoxville told Stern that he now feels "the healthiest I've ever been." You can watch him reflect on his head trauma below.
