Jackass star Steve-O has revealed how he overcame sex addiction by committing to celibacy for more than a year – which ultimately led to him meeting “the love of his life”.
The 49-year-old star, whose real name is Stephen Gilchrist Glover, skyrocketed into the spotlight in the early 2000s after performing a number of shocking and over-the-top stunts as part of the MTV comedy series Jackass, as well as a slew of other comedians like Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius and Ryan Dunn.
But now the TV sensation has reported on how drugs and alcohol caused him to become so “out of control” in the early years of his fame that he was arrested several times, evicted from his home and finally “locked up” in a psychiatric ward.’
He said things got so “immensely dark” that he also started “acting sexually” – and revealed he would pick fans from meet and greets to sleep with, only to ghost them soon after.
Jackass star Steve-O has revealed how he overcame his sex addiction by committing to more than a year of celibacy – which ultimately led to him meeting “the love of his life”.
The 49-year-old star shot into the spotlight after performing a series of shocking and over-the-top stunts as part of MTV’s Jackass. He was seen with his castmates in 2002
But now Steve-O has spoken openly about how drugs and alcohol caused him to become so “out of control” that he was arrested several times and eventually committed to a mental hospital
He eventually got professional help and decided to abstain from sex for 431 days – which he says helped him turn his life around.
Steve-O recently spoke about his journey during an appearance on StyleLikeU and Man Enough’s podcast, What’s Underneath: Masculinity.
He said things got so “immensely dark” that he also started “acting sexually” – and revealed he would pick fans from meet and greets to sleep with, only to ghost them soon after. He was seen in 2008
The entertainer explained that he set his sights on becoming a star after dropping out of college due to poor grades.
“I realized I wasn’t very well equipped to hold down a normal job. “I lacked the basic survival skills to navigate the world,” he remembers. “It was a tragedy, what a loser I was.”
He spent a few years at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, but after graduating he found he was “unwelcome” in the world of comedy and faced a lot of “rejection” everywhere he went became.
But the “self-centered and egocentric” Steve-O didn’t give up on his dream and began recording his tricks and sending the footage to every company he could.
Eventually, one of his videos ended up in the hands of future Jackass director Jeff Tremaine, who asked him to be part of the show.
While the reality star said at the premiere that he felt like he “finally belonged,” he admitted it was a “double-edged sword” as he struggled with the immense pressure to succeed.
He eventually got professional help and decided to abstain from sex for 431 days – which he says helped him turn his life around. He was seen with his fiancée Lux Wright in 2019
Steve-O recently spoke about his journey during an appearance on StyleLikeU and Man Enough’s podcast, What’s Underneath: Masculinity. He was seen with the hosts
When asked when his “rock bottom” came, he said it was at the premiere of the second “Jackass” film in 2006. He was seen at the premiere
“It’s so difficult not to commit.” [the numbers] to your self-esteem,” he said. “It became very clear to me that I needed to find a separation between myself and the persona of Steve-O.”
Steve-O compared working with his fellow Jackass members to “magic”, but admitted that their wild lifestyle became a bit too much for him.
Steve-O (seen in 2005) said: “It was like magic, I knew we weren’t going to make it.” I felt like it was all downhill from here. I remember going to that premiere and feeling like I was at my funeral.
He also explained that he couldn’t shake the fear that everything would be ripped away from him at any moment.
When asked when his “rock bottom” came, he said it was at the premiere of the second “Jackass” film in 2006.
“We lost more control than you can imagine with drugs, alcohol and sex,” he shared.
“We took the biggest risks, did the craziest things and everything just worked.” It was like magic.
“I knew we would never make it. I just felt like it was all downhill from here. I remember feeling like I was at my funeral at that premiere. I was so angry about that red carpet because it felt like it was the end.”
He had also suffered “severe trauma” several years earlier when his mother had an aneurysm that left her “horribly disabled both physically and mentally.”
“It was like suffering that shouldn’t exist.” “I was very angry at any God who would allow that,” he remembers.
He recalled sending an alarming email to everyone he knew in 2008, admitting he was “ready to die.” He was then involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours
Afterwards, he became “sober and clean,” but after he stopped using drugs and alcohol, Steve-O admitted he began treating women “terribly.” He was seen in 2011
“Everything became terribly dark. I can’t really describe all the pain because there was so much of it.
In 2008, Steve-O’s life began to fall apart – he was arrested for cocaine possession, to which he pleaded guilty, and kicked out of his home.
Shortly afterwards, the TV personality recalled sending an alarming email to everyone he knew in which he admitted he was “ready to die”.
Afterward, he said the “Jackass guys staged an intervention” and had him involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours.
“I’ve been clean and sober ever since,” he revealed.
But the former MTV star’s problems didn’t end there. Shortly after quitting drugs and alcohol, Steve-O admitted he began treating women “terribly,” which left him in “an endless cycle of shame.”
“Once I laid the foundation for sobriety, I found that I was actually acting out sexually a lot,” he continued.
“I started touring the comedy clubs. After the show, I did this meet-and-greet that was like a glorified audition to find a partner to perform with that night.”
“I’ve developed this pattern where I meet a woman and fall in love with her… and fall in love with her charms.
“As soon as she fell in love with me, like a light switch, I lost interest in her.” I would just ghost.
“After I did that, I felt terrible because not only was I not treating her the way I wanted to be treated, but I was actually treating her the way I was most afraid of being treated.”
“It was just like taking advantage of people and throwing them away.” I knew exactly what an idiot I was. It was an endless cycle of shame.’
Eventually, Steve-O said he “just couldn’t act anymore,” so he “went to a sex therapist,” who recommended he start “an outpatient sex addict rehab program.”
Eventually, Steve-O (seen in 2015) said he “just couldn’t act anymore,” so he started seeing a sex therapist, who recommended he start “an outpatient sex addict rehab program.”
He is now engaged to stylist Lux, whom he has been dating since 2016. He gushed: “I never doubted for a second that I wanted to be with her.” You can see them in 2021
In the end, the 49-year-old said he was extremely “proud” of how far he had come. He concluded: “I have no secrets, I like who I am.” And I am grateful to have found meaning in my life.
He shared, “I had some starts and stops and some stumbles, but ultimately when I got out of that sex addict rehab, they recommended I have a period or celibacy between about 30 and 90 days.”
“And in the end it took me 431 days. “I felt strongly that my mission was to become the man the love of my life deserved.”
Steve-O said he realized that “in order for him to be happy and fulfilled in his later years,” he needed to find someone who would be “by his side” for the long term.
And that’s exactly what the Jackass alum did. He is now engaged to a stylist named Lux Wright, whom he has been dating since 2016.
“I met her at a job, we went on a few dates and we didn’t even kiss for over a month,” he gushed.
“I was completely transparent and explained to her that I have a terrible track record when it comes to relationships.”
“But we did everything right.” “We’ve been together for almost seven years now and I haven’t doubted for a second that I want to be with her.”
In the end, the 49-year-old said he was extremely “proud” of how far he had come. He concluded: “I have no secrets, I like who I am.”
“I am proud of how I live my life, I am proud of who I have become.” “I am deeply grateful that I have found meaning in my life.”