In the year 2000, a group of rowdy skateboarders and loosely defined "performers" came to MTV with a pitch that would showcase their vulgar antics—outrageous stunts, shocking pranks, and gross-out humor. Tweens and teens from all over the nation became enthralled with Jackass, leading to some copycat incidents and a customary moral panic. For this episode, we will be exploring the roots of the show, the shockingly uncensored, purposefully offensive skateboard magazines and videos of the 80s and 90s that brought together the cast, and the death-defying 1970s daredevil who inspired a young Johnny Knoxville to risk it all for the footage. We'll look at what all this has to do with the psychology of Generation X, with our changing patterns of gender and sexuality, and see what meaning, if any, we can find in the meaninglessness of Jackass.

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American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Sound design by Clear Commo Studios

Research Assistant: Riley Swedelius-Smith

Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler

Voice Acting by Will Rogers

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