- - Johnny Knoxville Reveals the Two Books That Had the Greatest Impact on His “Jackass” Future and 'The Adventure of It All'

Angela AndaloroJanuary 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM

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Johnny Knoxville

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Johnny Knoxville recently opened up about how growing up in Knoxville, TN, inspired his love of reading

The actor, 54, appeared on the Syndicate X Library YouTube series "Books That Changed My Life," where he discussed two of his favorite titles

Knoxville also recalled the unique opportunity to discuss one of those titles with its author and the impact that had on him

Johnny Knoxville is looking back at the books that shaped him

The Jackass alum, 54, recently appeared on the Syndicate X Library YouTube series "Books That Changed My Life," where he opened up about developing a love for reading by growing up in a quiet town with not much else to do.

As a teenager, the books Knoxville read started to shape who he would become, with On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson becoming two of the most impactful titles he'd discover.

"I was 14 [when first reading On the Road] and it just blew me away," he shared. "It just gave me this crazy desire to leave. There’s a lot of other things out there... I wanted to get out and see what I could muster up. It opened my mind a lot."

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Johnny Knoxville

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When discovering Hunter S. Thompson, Knoxville recalled realizing, "I didn't know people could write like that."

"That opened my mind up even more. Those books were very important to me."

Sharing his love for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas even led Knoxville to the opportunity to meet Thompson years ago.

"I knew a guy who knew him… I had written a thing for Big Brother magazine, a thing on self-defense equipment. So, I tested a bunch of s--t on myself. It was in one of the Jackasses, a taser gun, stun gun, pepper spray and then I shot myself in the chest with a bulletproof vest," he recalled.

"And that tape, I was like, ‘Oh, Hunter might like this.’ So I had my friend send it to him and he called me... The rush of blood that went through me and the excitement, that was a really big moment."

Knoxville prasied Thompson for creating "a wonderful world in that participatory journalism style."

"He just puts his self right in the center of it and he's completely mad, but he surrounds himself with monsters as well and enough drugs to get you through the day... He was very method," he shared.

The two titles are ones he's revisited many times in the years since and holds among his favorites.

"I feel like On the Road changed my life. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas changed my life. But in relation to On the Road, he helped inspire the beat generation, which made it all that possible," Knoxville said.

"It just kind of stoked my love of those characters, and rich characters, and the adventure of it all."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”