Steve-O, became a cultural icon during the 2000s with his outrageous, often surreal, stunts in several series of landmark MTV show Jackass and its numerous spin-off movies and series. He also appeared in hidden-camera show Totally Busted and had his own reality show, Dr Steve-O. Today, he is a principally a stand-up comedian but still indulges in daring, outlandish stunts — for his 2020 special Gnarly, he was driven over 700 miles from Las Vegas to Colorado duct-taped to the side of a truck.
Steve-O was born in London as Stephen Glover. His father’s job high up in the Pepsi-Cola corporation meant that he moved around a lot as a child, living everywhere from South America to America to Canada to England. He began pursuing his unusual career calling in his early 20s, studying at the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Florida. He was one of just 33 applicants from thousands to be accepted. After graduating, he began performing as a clown at Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, the biggest flea market in the world. He videotaped some of his work and sent it to Jeff Tremaine, who was shortly to become the producer of a new “reality comedy” series, Jackass.
When Jackass first aired in late 2000, it became an instant hit, with Steve-O performing wild stunts including being used in a human catapult, tightrope walking across an alligator pool, and having a live leech attached to his eyeball. The show may have been controversial, but its fan loved it and Steve-O continues to endure as a testament to pushing the limits of the human body.
