Jackass Forever: Johnny Knoxville Suffered Brain Damage During Filming
Jackass Forever star Johnny Knoxville says he suffered brain damage from a stunt filmed for the new movie. Jackass cast members have faced injuries over the years, but the upcoming fourth Jackass movie gave Knoxville more than one new one. He confirmed in a previous interview that filming for Jackass Forever left him with a "broken wrist, broken rib, concussion and brain hemorrhage," That's probably not shocking to anyone who has seen the trailer, which includes footage of Knoxville squaring off with a bull. But speaking during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show (as noted by ComicBook.com's sister site PopCulture.com), Knoxville says he wound up with brain damage from the stunt that was severe enough to impair his cognitive functions.
"I got a brain hemorrhage from that so my cognitive abilities were in steep decline after that hit," Knoxville revealed. "No one in my family is happy with the stunt and the bull hit was the worst hit I've ever taken from a bull or maybe period. Like I said my cognitive abilities really declined. I remember taking some tests and the neurosurgeon said, 'Do you have trouble paying attention right now?' I said, 'Yeah, why?' He goes, 'Because you scored a 17 on (the test)....' That's out of 100....I laugh now, at the time I was like 'Oh No.'"
He went on to talk about the treatments he had to undergo to help him here, which sound like something they might do on Jackass if they weren't so serious.
"I had to go under all these types of treatments, this transcranial magnetic stimulation, which they buzz your head with these magnets for about 30 minutes at a time for like, oh God, 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 went on to describe that this concussion he suffered caused him to go into "a little bit of a depression," revealing that his doctor told him that he cannot take any more hits to the head.
"My brain was just playing tricks on me. I got really depressed and over-focused on things," he added. "I did have to start medication for the first time in my life. It completely turned me around – that and doing therapy. It was a really hard recovery from this last injury, but I'm great now. I feel like I'm the healthiest I've ever been."
Jackass Forever is scheduled to be released in theaters on February 4th.