male gaze

Male Gaze: Johnny Knoxville, Our Favorite Jackass

Photo: Jason Merritt

If you fell for Johnny Knoxville and his merry band of half-naked self-flagellators around the eve of the new millennium, this weekend will be the perfect time to get reacquainted with one of the first reality-TV heartthrobs. Knoxville’s latest movie, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, hits theaters today, which only means that everyone’s favorite grinning, tattooed daredevil will be playing an 86-year-old man. Apparently, women have been loving it — though, as most Jackass-anything goes, penis jokes and pain will abound. So if you’d rather opt out of spending an hour cringing in empathy, just admire a photo of young Knoxville in his golden days — when he wore aviators and scruff to every single event. Or to catch up to modern times, watch him (complete with a jaunty sailor hat) play “Battle Shots” below with Jimmy Fallon. You’ll see that he’s swapped out his aviators for thick-framed glasses. Happy weekend!

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Male Gaze: Johnny Knoxville, the Beloved Jackass