Jackass Forever has made a lot of people happy, especially those who enjoy watching middle-aged men repeatedly destroy their genitals. But one group that’s not pleased is PETA, aka the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. As the stunt-filled fourquel dominates the box office, the animal rights group put out a statement condemning the film for its numerous stunts involving bulls, snakes, scorpions, and more.
As per Deadline, PETA singled out a number of scenes for condemnation. One involves Steve-O provoking honeybees into stinging his penis. Another finds a scorpion attacking new team member Rachel Wolfson. There were more:
Objections included scenes that include a spider being provoked into biting an actor’s chest, a turtle being harassed and goaded until the animal bites an actor’s testicles, a captive snake harangued and provoked into biting a person’s nose, a tarantula trapped in a tube between two participants’ faces, and a bull deliberately agitated into charging Knoxville, reportedly leaving him with a brain hemorrhage, among other injuries.
“If Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville want to make a career out of nasty little boy fantasies, they’re entitled to, as long as they don’t stress, harm, poke, prod, scare, or bother animals who are used as living props for their idiocy,” said PETA SVP Lisa Lange in a statement. They even accused the filmmakers of breaking state animal protection laws. “PETA is reminding city and county prosecutors that no one is above the law and that while the rest of the world wants to save bees and recognizes animals as sentient individuals, these jackasses exploit and abuse them for fun.”
Jackass Forever is now in theaters.
(Via Deadline)