Steve-O (born Steven Gilchrist Glover on June 13, 1974 in Wimbledon, London, UK to an American father and a Canadian mother) is a daredevil performer and television personality. He is best known as one of the performers on the TV series Jackass.
Steve-O spent his formative years in England, where his family was based for many years due to his father's business interests, graduating from The American School in London in 1992 before moving to the US. He briefly attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, dropping out after one year to later attend the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and make videos of his stunts. Though he was not selected to join The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus after graduating Clown College, he did work as a clown in a circus at the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop flea market.While performing in the flea market circus, Steve-O began sending videos of himself to Big Brother Magazine editor and future Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, which led to his involvement in the television series Jackass and its hit movie spin-offs, Jackass: The Movie and Jackass Number Two .
While Steve-O did not appear in an exceptional amount of segments on the popular MTV show Jackass, several of his stunts were shocking enough to earn him recognition as a cast regular. The first stunt he performed on the show was swallowing, then regurgitating a large goldfish, which was coincidentally the first time he ever attempted the stunt, on camera or off. What earned Steve-O widespread recognition as the go-to talent for pain among the cast was piercing both buttocks closed at a tattoo parlor. Towards the end of Jackass's run, Steve-O set the tone for his follow up show, Wildboyz, by experimenting with mother nature by putting a jellyfish on his head, proclaiming it to be a yarmulke.
Following the success of the TV show, MTV and Paramount decided to capitalize upon the show's success by releasing two full length motion pictures with the show's entire cast. In the first film Steve-O became even more of a household name by snorting wasabi and getting a tattoo in an offroading hummer driven by Henry Rollins. Steve-O missed a large portion of the filming for Jackass Number Two due to a broken clavicle but claims he made up for it with two of the most memorable stunts from the movie. In one, Steve-O pierces his cheek with a deep-sea fishing hook and swims with sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. In the other, Steve-O places a beer bong into his anus and takes in a full 12oz. beer rectally.
Following the filming of Jackass: The Movie, Steve-O released four DVDs showcasing his stunts. These videos show many of his trademark stunts performed in a variety of locations, such as doing a back flip off a tall structure while blowing a fireball with alcohol in his mouth, the "butterfly" where Steve-O staples his scrotum to his thigh, and various other jumps from large heights. The first, Don't Try This At Home: The Steve-O Video, is a ragtag collection of footage that couldn't be played on TV. His second DVD. Volume 2: The Tour, follows Steve-O on his journey across America performing his live stage show, Don't Try This at Home. Volume 3: Out On Bail, follows Steve-O and his crew across the globe on the Don't Try This At Home Tour. His fourth effort Steve-O: The Early Years chronicles his rise as a performer and features interviews with his family, crew, friends, business associates, etc. Released simultaneously and packaged with his Don't Try This at Home. Volume 3: Out On Bail, was PCP Saved my Life, a documentary of Steve-O's experience taking PCP, a trip lasting five days, after which Steve-O vowed never to do the drug again.
Third party companies have released DVDs including Steve-O footage without his approval including: Steve-O ? Gross Misconduct, Steve-O ? XXX Porn Show, Steve-O ? Greatest Hits, and Steve-O Quad Pack. On April 25, 2005, Steve-O filed a lawsuit against a company producing some of the DVDs, J&N Media. The videos consist of a patchwork of early footage of him that he had sold, given away, has been used without his consent, or that he has otherwise abandoned the rights to throughout his career.
Since 2003, he and Chris Pontius along with others have appeared on the semi-nature show Wildboyz, featuring various stunts involving wild animals and remote cultures. After four seasons, the show was put to rest after the death of Steve Irwin because "if this can happen to a professional, we have to watch out for our own safety."
In mid 2005, Steve-O launched his own shoe company called Sneaux Shoes. Television commercials promoting the shoe company include such acts as Steve-O jumping into garbage, getting his foot bitten by an alligator, and drinking rotten milk. His slogan is "They're darn good shoes." The 2006 commercials appear with Stilts vs. Go-Kart, and the base jump.
Steve-O has recently lent his talents to National Lampoon's TV the movie, and at the premiere at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, put his penis in wet cement instead of his hands. Steve-O also recently signed a deal with Universal Records to record a rap album.
Steve-O added his voice and his own team, the Los Angeles Dream Team, to ESPN NFL 2K5. He appears as a celebrity adversary and is an unlockable free agent running back in season mode. He congratulates the player on a job well done after the player accomplishes a certain number of achievements. Steve-O also appears in Tony Hawk's Underground 2 as a playable character.
On July 31, 2002, Steve-O was arrested in Los Angeles on obscenity and assault charges for performing his now infamous stunt, The Butterfly (in which he staples his scrotum to his leg) at the Abyss, a nightclub in Houma, Louisiana, and for being a principal to a second-degree battery, both of which occurred at the nightclub on July 11, 2002. After posting a $150,000 bond in the Los Angeles court system, he was allowed to return to Louisiana where he turned himself in to the local authorities. Steve-O was released from Louisiana's custody with a $35,000 bond on August 14, 2002. The Louisiana courts had originally set his bond at $1.12 million, but it was reduced after he convinced them he wasn't a flight risk. Steve-O was required to return to Los Angeles on August 16, 2002, and prove that he turned himself in to Louisiana authorities.
The arraignment was originally scheduled for September 16, 2002, however Steve-O was granted a continuance extending it until December 16, 2002, and then granted a second continuance extending it to February 10, 2003. Finally on March 24, 2003, Steve-O made a deal with Louisiana prosecutors placing him on supervised probation for one year, requiring him to make a charitable donation of $5,000 to a shelter for battered women and children, and forbidding him from performing in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana ever again.
The Abyss nightclub was in danger of losing their liquor license as a result of the events on the night of July 11, 2002. They were allowed to keep it until the trial against Steve-O was complete.
On May 22, 2003 Steve-O was arrested and jailed while in Sweden in response to a joke he made about smuggling drugs in to the country, remarking that he swallowed a condom containing cannabis to get it past the authorities. Steve-O reached a plea bargain with the Swedish prosecutors and was released on May 27, 2003 after paying a 45,000 Kronor (about 5,800 dollars) fine. As part of the plea bargain Steve-O admitted to possessing one ecstasy tablet and five grams of marijuana, although he claimed he had no knowledge of where the ecstasy came from.
On July 19, 2003, Steve-O was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct for urinating on potato chips in public during a Lollapalooza tour concert in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Steve-O claimed he was kicked off the tour by Lollapalooza producers because of the incident. Steve-O was again seen urinating in public at the March 5, 2006 Key Club Party for the Oscars, urinating on the red carpet outside the club, and then "stripping off to his birthday suit."
November 2, 2005 Steve-O was seen by reporters, and later officers in the Los Angeles Police Department, exiting a nightclub with a bag of marijuana. Though the officers confronted Steve-O they made no attempt to arrest him. The incident was documented on video tape by the reporters and resulted in an administrative investigation within the LAPD to see if the officers at the scene were negligent.
Steve-O attended the "Rock The Bells" Hip-Hop Festival in San Bernardino, California in August 2006 to some controversy. The Concert was headlined by the Wu-Tang Clan and the event was organized as a tribute to the late clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard. While on stage with the Wu-Tang Clan, Steve-O exclaimed that he shared the same cell with O.D.B, albeit at different times. He proceeded to show his affection for ODB by getting nude, tucking his penis between his legs and doing a back flip. This upset Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, and he threatened to assault him if he didn't apologize while tempers flared.
On September 26, 2005, a heavily intoxicated Steve-O appeared on Too Late with Adam Carolla. He had originally planned on getting drunk, having a policeman give him a Breathalyzer test, and then pulling a cloth out from under a table of food. Unfortunately, the plan fell through at the last second as Steve-O had already consumed a large amount of alcohol. On the show Steve-O yelled obscenities, attempted to tackle Adam Carolla, broke a glass table with his foot, inadvertently cutting his leg, and was taken away by security at the end of the segment. In the following segment Adam attempted to perform the stunt Steve-O had planned. Despite the turmoil, on October 17, 2005, Steve-O appeared again on Too Late. His second appearance was no less chaotic, with Steve-O lighting a table on fire, breaking the replacement for the glass table he had broken previously, and ended with him stapling his scrotum to his thigh.
Following the departure of Adam Carolla from Loveline, Steve-O periodically guest co-hosted in his place and was being considered, among many others, as a possible replacement. Loveline producers eventually chose KROQ DJ Stryker to replace Carolla on the show. While guest co-hosting on May 23, 2006, Steve-O announced he had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a serious cardiac condition which can be life threatening. Steve-O claimed his doctor told him he was dying and had "the heart of a 90 year old man" also adding without treatment he "wouldn't live past 40." On June 16, 2006, however, Steve-O announced his heart was perfectly fine on Radio Bam after visiting a heart specialist who said that his original doctor misread the results of a test.
On July 18, 2006, Steve-O became a late contestant on the British reality show Love Island broadcast on ITV from Fiji in an effort to boost ratings. Despite stating he has stopped drinking he asked for beer while on the show, on July 19, 2006 he abruptly left Love Island because he was not allowed the beer and chocolate which he requested.
On October 10, 2006, Steve-O appeared on Tom Green Live, an Internet talk-show hosted by comedian Tom Green, along side guests Jukka Hildén and Carson Daly in which he discussed his hatred for current U.S. President George W. Bush and organized religion. Steve-O also spoke out about his feelings towards his clown college alma mater, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, for abusing the animals used in the circus. He took calls from viewers while repeatedly huffing medical-grade compressed nitrous oxide (commonly called "whippits"), smoking, drinking alcohol and eating hash brownies. The show ran for three times its normal length, ending with Steve-O collapsing on the floor after drinking a bottle of Italian salad dressing and vomiting violently.
On March 26, 2006, Jackass co-stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius visited The Dean Blundell morning show, on Southern Ontario radio station CFNY (102.1 The Edge), to promote their "Don't Try This At Home" tour. During the interview, Pontius and Steve-O said multiple expletives on the air. Steve-O also proceeded to urinate on the floor and perform a stunt called "Unwrapping the Mummy" all in front of a live studio audience. Hosts Dean Blundell, Jason Barr, and Todd Shapiro were suspended for the week following the appearance, after the contents of the show received attention from the public, and garnered many complaints.