What Happened To Ryan Dunn From Jackass?

Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O are the faces of Jackass, the reality franchise that sees a group of friends do ridiculous stunts, but there are other cast members who mean just as much. Sadly, not all of them are around today. So, what happened to Ryan Dunn from Jackass?

How Did Ryan Dunn From Jackass Lose His Life?

Ryan Dunn was making a name for himself long before appearing on Jackass. Alongside his friend Brandon “Bam” Margera, Dunn was part of the CKY crew, a group of friends who pulled off pranks and did extreme stunts. Then, in the early 2000s, they became part of Jackass, which took the world by storm with its first few projects.

However, Dunn wanted to be more than a bit player, working on several notable projects during his career. He hosted a reality show called Homewrecks on MTV, appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and worked on several movies, such as Street Dreams and The Bates Haunting. Of course, he also continued to work with his close friend Bam on projects like Viva La Bam and Bamimation.

Sadly, the wild lifestyle caught up to Dunn, who lost his life in June 2011. After a night of drinking, Dunn and Jackass crew member Zachary Hartwell were driving when Dunn hit a tree, causing the Porsche he was driving to burst into flames. Dunn, 34, and Hartwell, 30, both died due to blunt and thermal trauma.

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The world was obviously shocked by Dunn’s death, with many celebrities taking to social media to share their condolences, but Bam took it harder than most. He visited the crash site shortly after the accident and would have collapsed if it weren’t for his friends being there to hold him up (via NBC Philadelphia).

Of course, the Jackass series didn’t stop after Dunn’s death. However, the powers that be made sure to honor their late friend, dedicating Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa and Jackass 4.5 to him. Steve-O even revealed in early 2024 that he went to bat for his friend after comedian Amy Schumer made a joke about his death only months after it happened, proving that the bond of the Jackass crew remains strong all these years later.

And that’s what happened to Ryan Dunn from Jackass.

The Jackass TV series is available to stream on Paramount Plus.