Johnny Knoxville says the Jackass cast was once 'uninsurable'
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Johnny Knoxville knows that he's lucky to be alive — and so does his insurance company.
Asked if he is an insurance agent's worst nightmare during a Vanity Fair lie detector interview, the fifty-two year old stunt performer and Jackass star attempted a lie: "No," he said, before looking towards the lie detector operator. "Does that sound true?"
After receiving a firm headshake, Knoxville fessed up. "Okay," he admitted. "You got me, I am."
Knoxville has sprained, torn and broken many body parts over the course of his career. Alongside the rest of the Jackass cast members, he spent years voluntarily participating in life-threatening stunts. So it should come as no surprise to learn that the production once had trouble finding a health insurance company willing to cover their potential (and often inevitable) injuries.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Johnny Knoxville
Admitting that he has been denied coverage in the past, the daredevil revealed, "At the end of the Jackass TV show, I think, we lost all our insurance. So that wasn't great. I think we were uninsurable at that point."
The Jackass franchise has since evolved into numerous films and TV specials. Last year, Knoxville told EW that his body has been through so much trauma, that his doctors compare it to the damage of "a major car crash." Because of that, he knew even before filming began that Jackass Forever would be his last hurrah in the world of death-defying stunts.
"You can only take so many chances before one forever catches up with you," Knoxville said. "I realized that and it's amazing that I'm still walking around. I think I pushed my luck far enough."
Watch the interview below.
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