Steve-O addresses why new Jackass film is 'mostly archival footage' after criticism

The new and final Jackass film is just a few days away from releasing but has always sparked controversy before most fans have even seen a single minute of the movie.

Jackass: Best and Last, sees the return of the Jackass crew after four years and the return of Bam Margera after 16 years.

Margera was fired midway through production of 2022’s Jackass Forever in a move that he later sued Knoxville and co-creator Jeff Tremaine over.

This later saw Margera threaten to fight Knoxville in a fairly public feud, which made it even more shocking when it was revealed that he would be returning for the upcoming film.

This made slightly more sense when Margera explained that it was actually a deal he signed to allow archival unused footage from Jackass Forever to be included in the film.

For many this raised the first alarm bells that Jackass: Best and Last would feature more archival footage than actual new stunts, something which appears to have been confirmed by early reporting on the movie.

Concerns that Jackass: Best and Last will be more of a clip show than a new film

Alistair Ryder, writing in The Guardian, said of the film: “There are new stunts, and conversations with the cast about growing old gracelessly as they enter their 50s, but the most striking thing is how much archive footage there is.

“The cast have not been hiding in interviews that it will be heavy on scenes from prior movies.”

Ryder points to Letterboxd reviews from early fan screenings that point out how few new scenes were filmed, something that seems to be confirmed by the fact that filming only started in February 2026, a month after it was announced.

The move will also, however allow the late Ryan Dunn to appear in the movie via archival footage.

Steve-O appears to confirm why the new film was mostly made up of archival footage

Speaking to Playboy, the sober Jackass star and podcaster explained how the final movie came to be.

He said: “What made this movie happen was this lump sum of footage that had never been allowed to be shown anywhere. I genuinely don’t know why it’s allowed now, but it’s in there.

“That’s what this movie is: finding a home for such f*cked-up shit that never had a home, and one last hurrah of all of us getting together and doing whatever we have in us to do.”

The exact moment Steve-O pinpointed as the 'end of Jackass' (Paramount)

He also explained why this movie is the end, adding: “Oh yeah. One hundred percent it’s the end. Really, the end of Jackass was when Knoxville got hit by that bull in the last movie.

“That was the f*cking final hit for Knoxville’s head. Had to be. If Knoxville is no longer willing to get hit in the head, you really can’t do Jackass.”

This hit in Jackass Forever almost killed Knoxville, giving him a broken wrist, broken ribs, concussion, and a brain hemorrhage.

In an interview with Variety Knoxville confirmed he had to ‘limit his stunts’ for the new film, adding: “I can’t do anything where I can get another concussion. [I’m] way over my limit for concussions, but I don’t care about anything else. I just can’t get hit in the head anymore — but a lot of other guys can.”

Jackass: Best and Last premieres in cinemas 26 June, 2026.