Johnny Knoxville, ‘Jackass’ Brought National Attention to an Iowa Gas Station

It's impressive (and insane) that the hit MTV show Jackass has remained a cultural touchstone for four decades now. The commercial success of Jackass Forever in 2022 proved that once again. Most movie series run out of gas by the third or fourth installment. Jackass is the exact opposite despite the fact that its stars are now mostly in their late 40s and early 50s.

When writing about the Iowa gas station Kum & Go a couple months ago, I was reminded of the time Jackass star and de facto host Johnny Knoxville helped bring national attention to the regionally dominant gas station/convenient store. It wasn't intentional either, which makes it even funnier.

In Jackass Number Two, the 2006 sequel to Jackass: The Movie, one of the stunts involved Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, and Ryan Dunn standing in front of a riot control gun filled with small, rubber pellets. That kind of device is stationed at United States embassies around the world, and is used in the event of a riot, a stampede, or any instance where there is a threat to life or property.

Being that this is Jackass, of course Knoxville wanted to get footage of him and his cohorts getting shot by the device. But that's not the only funny thing in the clip itself. During the stunt, Knoxville is rocking a shirt with the Kum & Go gas station logo on it, along with their catchphrase "We go all out!"

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Anyone who watches Jackass knows that Johnny Knoxville loves wearing weird yet memorable shirts in various stunts. However, I'm sure Knoxville himself didn't think that him wearing a Kum & Go shirt would lead to increased sales of Kum & Go merchandise!

Indeed, many people who bought shirts, hats, or other gear with the logo emblazoned on it weren't even aware that it was an actual business. Knoxville apparently wore the shirt for its suggestive nature with some believing it was, um, related to something else entirely.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CLIP CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND BRIEF VIOLENCE. IT MUST BE VIEWED ON YOUTUBE DUE TO THE VIDEO ITSELF BEING AGE-RESTRICTED FOR VIEWERS 18+.

Find out more about how all Kum & Go gas stations will be rebranded with a different name in 2025.