My Body Their Choice

On Corporations using Arbitration to Validate Violent Assault

It only took two years. Last month I finally received a password protected link to the Prank Panel raw footage where I was targeted and mauled with a stun gun by Johnny Knoxville. The video stream was received in anticipation for our first (and failed) mediation. Although the watch down was a struggle to sit through, it’s also a relief to finally see evidence that validates my narrative. The footage was cut together from multiple camera angles, drastically underexposed in key moments, and stamped with an oppressive watermark to remind me of legal consequences if I were to share it. Despite the shortcomings, there is still plenty to unpack in the two hour plus drop. The short of it is that it looks really bad. I’m not surprised ABC has consistently pushed back on demands to release an unmolested copy of the data file.

The above clip appears within the raw footage. For broadcast they layered in an audience laugh track, cut around the sidequest where Knoxville assaults me, and used it as a promotional staple.

As I absorbed the implications, I couldn’t help but wonder about the economy of lawyers, executives, editors, producers, and consultants that grew around scrutiny of the footage. Did they present this to AIG, the worker’s comp insurance company? Is Disney corporate cool with this? The production filed a report with OSHA, right? (lol). How about Jimmy Kimmel? Prank Panel was his production, staffed by his people. His brother Jonathan was one of the select few on set with the innate decency to show me compassion in the immediate aftermath. Although Jimmy himself would never return to set after the assault, it was the talk of the Kimmelot producers and writers at the time. I’m curious about his take on this, and why his production team felt no obligation to make it right when I brought the demonstrably false incident report to their attention.

Arbitration was designed to settle contract disputes, not give employers carte blanche to physically assault employees. I am grateful to see that the American people (women, really) have begun to push back on this exploitative loophole, with the bipartisan law passed to end forced arbitration in cases of sexual assault and harassment back in 2022. I wholeheartedly support this law. In spirit, I don’t think it’s a jump to extend its protections to other forms of non-consensual workplace violence.

Tomorrow is Friday, December 6th and the defense is making their latest move in court to punt my case into arbitration. It’s a big day for me, and also could be a big day for those who think Johnny Knoxville is above the law when it comes to nailing whoever he wants with a stun gun. I’m just another working writer, producer, former production assistant, and Emmy nominated member of the WGA. While I’m no more a qualified legal analyst than I am a stunt performer, I’m speculating that the defense is hoping that the media doesn’t care about this story, and it’s okay for Knoxville to use the machinations of a powerful corporate platform to avoid consequence for a so-called prank. I do not think blindsiding a human being with an assault weapon qualifies as a “prank” — especially when there is a concerted effort to conceal injuries. (Also, it wasn’t a stunt because stunts are consensual by definition.) This, incidentally, has been the shell game the entire time. If I should have expected to be targeted and attacked at this workplace, why would the production need to omit the direct cause of my injuries on the incident report? This detail is the catalyst and motivation why I will never stop fighting for truth and transparency in this matter.

Thanks to all my family, friends, and production colleagues who have been supportive of me throughout this ordeal. From the jump this has been a nightmare for my physical and mental health, but I’ll never regret standing up for myself. I’ll have a lot more to share on the other side of this ruling, so stay tuned.

Want to learn more? New York Times Subscribers click below for a great article by Peter Coy.

It Shouldn’t Be This Easy to Sign Away Your Right to a Trial