Steve-O, known for “Jackass” and his stunt work, will be performing at 11 p.m. Friday night at ISU AfterDark. Admission is free.

What you may not know about Steve-O is he has been performing stand-up comedy for 11 years, touring stand-up for seven. Even though he is most known for his stunts, stand-up comedy has been a major part of his career.

“It was kind of an accident really,” Steve-O said. “I got invited to do a stunt at a comedy club in 2006. When I walked I couldn’t think of a crazier stunt than to try and do stand up… I said a few ridiculous things that actually got a few laughs. It was a very short thing. I don’t think I was on stage for more than three minutes. Over all, I just had this compelling urge to just do it.”

Even though he loves stand-up, Steve-O never really strays too far from his love of stunts.

“If anything, I have kind of mixed the two [stand up and stunts], which sounds kind of weird. What I do with my stand up is really exploit all the ridiculous stuff I have done in my life and that I continue to do as well,” Steve-O said. “I keep doing dumb stuff that generates new material.”

Steve-O didn’t start out as the daredevil we know him as. His experiences, including clowning for Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, have all contributed to his work in stunts as well as comedy. 

“I think everything has been valuable … I really think I can safely say that I bring all of my experience into my show,” Steve-O said.

He gave a little insight into the show for this Friday, stating he will be doing circus acts he used to perform as a clown. One of his favorite things to do is include physical stunts into his standup comedy.

Not only has he incorporated his stunts, he has also incorporated a lot of his experiences into the comedy sets.

“My experience with my criminal record, my drug history, all my stuff on “Jackass” with comedy, with sobriety… it is pretty revealing, all the stuff… Either way what is important for me is that I am not out there emulating anyone. I am really not trying to fit the mold of what I think a stand up comedian is,” Steve-O said.

Another thing you may not know about Steve-O is he has been sober for almost ten years. Steve-O said there was a point in his life where he reached a wall, a wall everyone who struggles with addiction reaches, of it not being cool any more. He believes there was no choice, he had to get sober.

“Frankly, if I hadn’t gotten sober, I don’t think I would be able to do what I do today… I think that even more than just stopping taking drugs and drinking alcohol, that sobriety is more than that. The things that we do to stay sober, they really require us to take an inventory of our actions and of our lives,” Steve-O said.

“None of that was in play before I got sober. I don’t think that I had much to say before I got sober that would have been of value as comedy… Now I am super stoked. I am coming up on ten years of sobriety. Its crazy,” Steve-O said.

Steve-O’s advice? It is the same for anyone who is passionate about what they do.

“I have the same advice for anybody trying to get into anything and that is to just start doing it. Stop waiting for someone to pick you up out of a crowd. Don’t wait for someone to hand you an opportunity. Just get off your ass and do what you want to do,” Steve-O said. 

The future of Steve-O is just as crazy as his past. Working on his second comedy special with the director of “Jackass,” Jeff Tremaine, Steve-O is looking into his biggest projects yet. Including stunts and comedy, the new comedy special is Steve-O’s main focus. However, he is excited about a movie script he hopes to get produced.

“It is just kind of nice that I have been able to stay busy,” Steve-O said.

No matter what he is doing, you can guarantee it will be 100 percent Steve-O. Like Steve-O said himself, “What I do is authentic. Me finding humor in being me. I just continue to be f—ing ridiculous. I just have fun with it.”

Steve-O’s performance is a part of ISU AfterDark. Admission is free.