Johnny Knoxville's Real Name: Philip John Clapp

Quick answer: Johnny Knoxville was born Philip John Clapp on March 11, 1971, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up going by P.J. He invented the name Johnny Knoxville as a pen name for magazine writing, then kept it when he co-created MTV's Jackass in 2000. "Johnny" was a nod to cool-guy heroes, and "Knoxville" came from his hometown (Knox News; Sporting News).

Real name and early life

Knox News, his hometown paper, reported in 2026 that he was "born Philip John Clapp to Phil and Lemoyne Clapp" and "grew up going by P.J." He played baseball at South-Young High School in South Knoxville, which later merged into South-Doyle High School. Sporting News, citing the News Sentinel, reports he was an all-star pitcher there in 1989. Sporting News spells his first name "Phillip," but his hometown paper uses Philip. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Knoxville, Johnny, 1971-," born March 11, 1971.

After high school he moved to Los Angeles at 18 to act and booked some television commercials. He also began writing for edgy magazines such as Big Brother, the skateboarding title. He told Knox News that "P.J. Clapp" did not sound like a byline people would want to read, so he needed a pen name. John was already his middle name, but he said the "Johnny" came from heroes such as Johnny Appleseed, Johnny Cash, and Johnny Ramone, because "Johnnys" were always the cool guys. In June 2026, Sporting News reported, he joked, "Well, it's better than PJ Clapp."

Career highlights

Knoxville pitched Big Brother editor Jeff Tremaine a story in which he would test self-defense gear on himself, buying a bulletproof vest with $300 of Christmas money from his mother, Knox News reported. Knoxville and Tremaine then called director Spike Jonze, and the three co-created a TV series. Jackass premiered on MTV on October 1, 2000, opening with "Hi, I'm Johnny Knoxville. Welcome to 'Jackass,'" before he was shot from a cannon. Within six months of its debut, he was on the cover of Rolling Stone.

The show led to a film franchise starting with Jackass: The Movie (2002), and Knox News reported in February 2026 that a fifth feature was coming. Knoxville has also acted in films including The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) and Bad Grandpa (2013). He has used his name and hometown ties for local causes, including a "Knoxville Strong" clothing line benefiting his old high school's weight room.

Name notes for searchers

Philip is his legal first name, sometimes misspelled Phillip, and John is his middle name. Clapp is his family surname; his son Rocko also uses Clapp. P.J. was his childhood nickname, and Johnny Knoxville began as a byline.