# Steve-O
**Steve-O** is the stage name of Stephen Gilchrist Glover, an American stunt performer, comedian, and author who rose to fame on the MTV reality series *Jackass*, which premiered its first season in 2000[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steve-o/) • [2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio). His signature acts combined physical danger and gross-out humor, including setting himself on fire, stapling his scrotum to his leg, and swallowing and regurgitating a live goldfish, the last of which made him an overnight celebrity[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) • [3](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/92/17/00141/04-17-2014.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Gilchrist Glover[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steve-o/) |
| Breakthrough | *Jackass* season 1 on MTV, 2000[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) |
| Training | Graduated from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1997[4](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/steve-o) |
| First-season pay | Paid per bit, not per episode, on *Jackass*[5](https://loudwire.com/steve-o-pay-jackass-first-season/) |
| Books | Memoir *Professional Idiot*, a New York Times best seller; second book *A Hard Kick In The Nuts: What I Learned From A Lifetime Of Terrible Decisions*[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) |
| Sobriety | Fourteen years sober per his official biography[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) |
| Current work | Multimedia stand-up tours, the *Wild Ride with Steve-O* podcast, and a YouTube channel that routinely draws millions of views[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) |
## Before Jackass
Steve-O attended the [University of Miami](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-miami), which he describes as failing miserably, and then spent time couch-surfing with friends while pursuing his goal of becoming a stuntman[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio). He enrolled in the [Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College](https://www.edgepedia.org/ringling-bros-and-barnum-and-bailey-clown-college) and graduated in 1997, then worked as a circus clown, including a job on a cruise ship that he lost after the other clowns on board threatened mutiny if his contract was renewed[4](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/steve-o) • [6](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/steve-o-interview). By his own account, the reactions he got when showing people the stunt footage he filmed convinced him to drop out of school and pursue a career as a stuntman[7](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/06/22/interview-steve-o/).
## Jackass and its films
His self-produced footage led to working with [Johnny Knoxville](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-knoxville) on *Jackass*, a stunt-based reality show whose first MTV season aired in 2000[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio). During the first season he was paid per bit rather than per episode, as he revealed on the X5 podcast[5](https://loudwire.com/steve-o-pay-jackass-first-season/). The series ran from 2000 to 2002, and he then starred in the nature-inflected spin-off *[Wildboyz](https://www.edgepedia.org/wildboyz)* before appearing in the *Jackass* feature films[6](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/steve-o-interview).
Several of his stunts became defining moments of the franchise. In *Jackass 3D* (2010) he performed the "Poo Cocktail Supreme," in which he was slingshot-launched inside a portapotty filled with dog feces and bounced on bungee cords; he has said the stunt left him with a daily reminder of it[8](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/steve-o-reminded-every-day-infamous-portapotty-stunt-reason-gnarly-jackass) • [9](https://apnews.com/article/349e7c760c1a3266aba0078ea3f7d55f). In a 2026 interview he said he had received skin grafts from seven deceased people, a consequence of his years of self-inflicted injuries[10](https://as.com/deportes_accion/urbano/steve-o-jackass-y-su-vida-me-llegaron-a-injertar-piel-de-siete-personas-fallecidas-f202607-n/).
He returned with the cast for *Jackass Forever* (2022), which opened number one at the box office, and for *Jackass: Best and Last* (2026), the franchise's final film, a hybrid of new stunts and greatest-hits footage[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio) • [11](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/steve-o-gave-most-honest-answer-possible-why-many-jackass-stunts-best-and-last). He has said he does not consider himself a daredevil and does not do the stunts for the rush[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/steve-o-gave-most-honest-answer-possible-why-many-jackass-stunts-best-and-last).
## Addiction and recovery
The years after the original show were marked by heavy drug use. A complete mental breakdown after the shows ended led him to get sober[12](https://www.kqed.org/arts/11410116/steve-o-on-growing-up-staying-clean-and-setting-himself-on-fire). MTV documented this period in *Steve-O: Demise and Rise*, which followed his drug problems up to his first performance on ABC's *Dancing With the Stars*[13](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/a88b9960-8cf3-4a51-9755-a0d5fa5c8b0e). His official biography states he has fourteen years of sobriety[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio).
## Stand-up comedy and media
Since getting sober, Steve-O has built a career in stand-up comedy that mixes storytelling with stunt footage. In 2001 he launched the "Steve-O Don't Try This At Home Tour," performing at venues across the United States and in a dozen countries[14](https://www.ticketmaster.com/steveo-tickets/artist/836306?tt_scene=anchor_view). His later tours, including *The Bucket List Tour*, present stunts he describes as things *Jackass* would not let him do, and audience members have been known to pass out during graphic segments such as a vasectomy video[15](https://www.slashfilm.com/1452863/steve-o-new-stand-up-how-he-survived-decades-extreme-stunts-exclusive-interview/). As of 2026 he is touring with the *Crash & Burn* show[16](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9175C00/steveo-events).
Beyond touring, he produces a YouTube channel that routinely draws millions of views and hosts the *Wild Ride with Steve-O* podcast, whose guests have included [Post Malone](https://www.edgepedia.org/post-malone), Demi Lovato, Shaq, and Tom DeLonge of Blink-182[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio). His memoir *Professional Idiot* became a New York Times best seller, and he announced a second book, *A Hard Kick In The Nuts: What I Learned From A Lifetime Of Terrible Decisions*[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio).
## Personal life
Steve-O lives in Los Angeles, California, with his fiancée Lux. The two share four dogs and two cats and plan to start their own animal sanctuary[2](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio). He has described his work separating his personal life from his career persona[17](https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/features/on-the-scene-with-nadine/2605-steve-o-spills-his-dirty-secrets-to-valley-qjackassq-fans.pdf).
## References
1. [Steve-O – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steve-o/)
2. [Bio – Steve-O, official website](https://www.steveo.com/pages/bio)
3. [The Independent Florida Alligator, April 17, 2014](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/92/17/00141/04-17-2014.pdf)
4. [Steve-O – Stand-Up Comedy Database, Dead-Frog](https://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/steve-o)
5. [How Much Money Steve-O Made During Jackass' First Season, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/steve-o-pay-jackass-first-season/)
6. [Steve-O is still taking it in the nuts, British GQ](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/steve-o-interview)
7. [A Personal Interview With Steve-O From Jackass, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/06/22/interview-steve-o/)
8. [Steve-O Is Reminded Every Day About The Infamous Portapotty Stunt, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/steve-o-reminded-every-day-infamous-portapotty-stunt-reason-gnarly-jackass)
9. [Movie Review: 'Jackass: Best and Last', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/349e7c760c1a3266aba0078ea3f7d55f)
10. [Steve-O, Jackass y su vida, AS](https://as.com/deportes_accion/urbano/steve-o-jackass-y-su-vida-me-llegaron-a-injertar-piel-de-siete-personas-fallecidas-f202607-n/)
11. [Steve-O Gave The Most Honest Answer Possible About Why He's Done So Many Jackass Stunts, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/steve-o-gave-most-honest-answer-possible-why-many-jackass-stunts-best-and-last)
12. [Steve-O on Growing Up, Staying Clean, and Setting Himself on Fire, KQED](https://www.kqed.org/arts/11410116/steve-o-on-growing-up-staying-clean-and-setting-himself-on-fire)
13. [MTV Brings The Trials and Tribulations of Steve-O to Life in 'Steve-O: Demise and Rise', Paramount](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/a88b9960-8cf3-4a51-9755-a0d5fa5c8b0e)
14. [Steve-O Tickets, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/steveo-tickets/artist/836306?tt_scene=anchor_view)
15. [Steve-O On His New Stand-Up And How He's Survived Decades Of Extreme Stunts, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1452863/steve-o-new-stand-up-how-he-survived-decades-extreme-stunts-exclusive-interview/)
16. [Steve-O 2026 Tour Dates, Live Nation](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9175C00/steveo-events)
17. [Steve-O Spills his Dirty Secrets to Valley "Jackass" Fans, Arizona Foothills Magazine](https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/features/on-the-scene-with-nadine/2605-steve-o-spills-his-dirty-secrets-to-valley-qjackassq-fans.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Stunt performers and physical performance specialists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license