Johnny Knoxville Net Worth: How Much the ‘Jackass’ Star is Worth Now

What do you do when the powers that be refuses to give you a breakthrough? Well, if you are Hollywood star actor and comic, Johnny Knoxville, you go on to create your own breakthrough and amass a fortune worth $75 million in the process.

As the incredible story goes, Knoxville developed a desire to become an actor as a teenager and promptly headed out to L.A. after high school in pursuit of his dreams. In L.A., it was a different ballgame altogether as the young man found it hard breaking into the industry.

Knoxville had to support himself and his family by appearing in TV commercials. He also took to creating and pitching his own ideas to several magazines. One of these ideas was eventually accepted and it would morph into the Jackass franchise, comprising of a cult TV show, three movies and one spin-off, and multiple DVD releases which has made him an iconic figure and brought him much wealth as well.

Creating Jackass Laid the Foundation for Knoxville to Build His $75 Million Net Worth

It is often said that there can be no gain without pain and this proves true in the case of Johnny Knoxville. As previously stated, the Tennessee native spent much of the 90s looking for a breakthrough in Hollywood. When this was not forthcoming, he took to creating and pitching shows to different magazines. One of his pitches was for a prank show which would feature the cast and crew doing the sickest of stunts. This was eventually accepted and made a TV series titled Jackass.

Jackass debuted on MTV in the year 2000 and quickly amassed millions of fans thanks to its outrageous stunts. Some of it included Knoxville and crew dressing up as elderly men and wreaking havoc on unsuspecting people. There were also instances of pooing in public places; drinking the semen of a horse; eating another person’s vomit, and trashing a rented car beyond recognition. In fact, nothing was too extreme for Knoxville and his ragtag crew but they suffered the consequences. There were injuries and broken bones and on one occasion, a broken penis for Knoxville.

The Jackass crew however reaped the benefits of their endurance. The show had the highest ratings on MTV on Sundays and it ran for three successful years before coming to an end. It is not known how much Johnny Knoxville was paid for jackass but it ought to have run into the seven-figure region, given the fact that he did not only featured on it but was also one of the brains behind the series.

How Much Is Johnny Knoxville Worth Now Years after Featuring on Jackass?

Johnny Knoxville now has a net worth of $75 million but this did not happen overnight. Back in the 90s, the famed entertainer was struggling to land bit parts in Hollywood and had to rely on the meager sum he made from featuring in commercials. This hardly sustained him let alone leaving over anything for savings.

This bleak situation persisted until the dawn of a new millennium in 2000 when Knoxville hit the jackpot with his show, Jackass. The overwhelming success of the prank/stunt reality TV show generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue and he was rewarded for his writing as well as acting work on the show. His paycheck ran into the seven and eight-figure regions and he was able to build up a fortune running into millions of dollars

The end of Jackass in 2002 should have spelled financial doom for Johnny Knoxville but he averted this by immediately turning his idea into a movie series. He also made sure to set up the production vehicle that would bring the movies to fruition in a bid to get a good share of the profits. Thankfully, these movies turned out to be a huge success at the box office and this saw Knoxville’s fortune climb into tens of millions in the late 2000s and double in the 2010s.

Now estimated at $75 million, there can be further increase in his wealth as Paramount Pictures is set to release yet another Jackass film in 2021.

He Has Also Made Good Money from Movie Roles

Johnny Knoxville
Knoxville, Simpson, and Scott in The Dukes of Hazzard: Image Source

Another major contributor to Johnny Knoxville’s $75 million net worth is his acting career. Even though the Tennessee native has made a name for himself on the Jackass franchise, he never forgot his aspirations to become an actor and so, he takes any gigs that come his way. Knoxville has so far featured in several movies, including Men in Black II, A Dirty Shame, Daltry Calhoun, The Ringer, Lords of Dogtown, and The Dukes of Hazzard.

The Dukes of Hazzard revolves around three cousins, Daisy, Luke, and Bo, who help their uncle with running his illegal moonshine business. This puts them at odds with local law enforcement, and they soon find themselves taking part in a car race in order to save their ancestral home. The Dukes of Hazzard featured the likes of Jessica Simpson while Knoxville portrayed one of the cousins named Luke. What he was paid for his troubles is not available but it is known that Jessica Simpson made about $4 million. We can surmise that Knoxville earned something around that figure.

The Jackass Star Owns Two Production Companies

Movie production is not an easy task but Johnny Knoxville has braved it and his net worth is all the better for it. The Jackass star is the co-founder of two successful production companies known as Deckhouse Productions and Hello Junior. The two companies have churned out several lucrative projects including Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness, the reality show hosted by famed skateboarder, Rob Dyrdek.

The companies have also scored a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures. Under this deal which has lasted for decades, they have successfully mid-wived the defunct Jackass series into a movie franchise comprising of about four successful movies so far with more set to come in the future.

They are Jackass: The Movie (2002), Jackass Number Two (2006), Jackass 3D (2010), and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. These movies basically feature Knoxville and the crew carrying on from where they left off in the TV series. It has proved to be popular with fans and has grossed $487.6 million on a budget of $51.5 million. This represents a profit of about $436.1 million, a portion of which have gone to Knoxville and his production company.

Sources of Johnny Knoxville’s Net Worth 

  • Jackass TV series
  • Acting roles
  • Production Companies

Was He the Richest Jackass Cast Member?

Johnny Knoxville will always be the face of the Jackass franchise but this does not in any way suggest that he single-handedly made the show what it was. He had a talented and dedicated crew which helped him bring all those crazy stunts to life.

These crew members were also well remunerated but none of their paychecks came close to what Knoxville was earning. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that he is the wealthiest amongst all the crew members of the iconic show.

Others who come behind him are Bam Margera – $20 million, Chris Pontius – $12 million, Wee Man -$8 million, Ehren Mcghehey – $3.5 million, Preston Lacy – $3 million, Steve-O – $2.5 million, and Dave England – $2.5 million.

What are Johnny Knoxville’s Highest Grossing Movies and TV Shows?

  • Men in Black II
    Year of release – 2002
    Budget – $140 million
    Gross – $441.8 million
    Knoxville’s salary – N/A
  • Jackass: The Movie
    Year of release – 2002
    Budget – $5 million
    Gross – $79.5 million
    Knoxville’s salary –
  • The Dukes of Hazzard
    Year of release: 2005
    Budget: $53 million
    Gross: $111.1 million
    Knoxville’s salary: $4 million est.
  • Jackass Number Two
    Year of release: 2006
    Budget: $11.5 million
    Gross: $84.6 million
    Knoxville’s salary: N/A
  • Jackass 3D
    Year of release – 2010
    Budget – $20 million
    Gross – $171.7 million
    Knoxville’s salary – N/A
  • Jackass Presents: Bad Grandparents
    Year of release – 2013
    Budget – $15 million
    Gross – $151.8 million
    Knoxville’s salary – N/A

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