Long before he became one of the most recognizable faces in reality television, Steve-O was risking life and limb for surprisingly little money.
The Jackass star recently opened up about what he earned during the show’s debut season, revealing that despite performing dangerous stunts and helping turn the MTV series into a cultural phenomenon, his paycheck was far smaller than many fans would expect.
Fame Arrived Before Fortune
Speaking in a recent interview, Steve-O recalled being unemployed, broke, and even homeless when Jackass first premiered in 2000.
While the show quickly transformed him into a household name, the financial rewards didn’t arrive nearly as fast. According to Steve-O, performers weren’t paid a traditional salary or per-episode fee during the first season. Instead, cast members received payment based on individual stunts and segments they filmed.
“It’s comical how little I was paid,” he admitted.
Paid Hundreds for Dangerous Stunts
Steve-O shared one example that highlights just how modest the compensation was.
After filming several days’ worth of material, including a stunt in which he was bitten by a shark, he reportedly expected to receive only a few hundred dollars for certain segments. The shark bite alone earned him about $500, leaving him with a scar that remains today.
When production wrapped, Steve-O says the total amount he received for the entire first season was less than $1,500 after taxes.
The Risk Behind the Success
The revelation offers a glimpse into the early days of Jackass, before the franchise exploded into a global brand worth millions.
What began as a low-budget MTV experiment eventually spawned multiple movies, spin-offs, video games, and international success. However, during those first episodes, the cast had little indication of just how popular the series would become.
Steve-O’s experience also reflects a reality common in entertainment: early participants in groundbreaking projects often take significant risks before financial success follows.
A Lesson About Celebrity
Looking back, Steve-O says one of the biggest lessons he learned was that fame and financial success don’t always arrive together.
Despite suddenly becoming recognizable to audiences across America, he was still struggling financially behind the scenes.
“That’s one of the first things I learned about fame,” he explained. “It comes a lot easier than fortune.”
The End of an Era
More than 25 years after Jackass first debuted, the franchise is preparing for what may be its final chapter.
The upcoming Jackass: Best and Last project is expected to feature never-before-seen footage and behind-the-scenes moments that didn’t make it into previous releases. For longtime fans, it serves as both a celebration of the franchise’s legacy and a farewell to one of television’s most outrageous stunt crews.
For Steve-O, the journey from homeless stunt performer to international star remains a reminder that some of the biggest opportunities often begin with very little money and a lot of risk.
