There are perks to having Johnny Knoxville as a friend, but as Eric André learned, there are some unforeseen side effects as well.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, André recounted his excitement at getting involved in the upcoming Jackass Forever film. A fan of the Jackass series, André immediately jumped at the opportunity.
“Oh my god, they raised me. They shaped my worldview,” André said, according to Uproxx’s account of the interview. “It was the quickest I’ve ever said ‘yes’ to a project, and then I was immediately terrified because being on a Jackass set is like the Vietnam War of comedy. Every step you take, a real landmine or an explosive could be underneath.”
André didn’t die, but when he tested positive for COVID-19 around Christmas time, Knoxville did decide to cheer up his friend in a unique way.
“He had toilet paper and an Andy Warhol wig, and he started toilet papering my house,” André said. “My alarm goes off. I’m stoned by myself, paranoid, and I open the window. I don’t know it’s him, so I’m just yelling out the window like, ‘I’m calling the police! I have a gun!’ I open the door. I’m like, ‘I’m going to kill you, man. I have a gun and the cops are on their way.’
And [Knoxville] goes, ‘Dude, how good would the publicity have been if you got me arrested and shot me right before Jackass comes out?'”
Fortunately, no one was hurt. The same can’t be said for Jackass Forever, which Knoxville and André appear in. The film, rumored to be the final Jackass movie, hits theaters on Feb. 4.