In 2023, Jackass star Steve-O bought a 44-acre property outside Nashville with an unusual ambition: to turn it into a sanctuary where rescued animals could live safely and be understood as individuals. Three years later, The Radical Ranch is home to goats, pigs, cats and dogs, while its founder is looking to expand the operation and welcome more animals in need. The ranch, located in rural Sumner County about an hour northeast of downtown Nashville, was founded by Stephen Glover, better known as Steve-O, and Lux Wright in 2023. It became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2024, with a mission to care for animals in need while encouraging compassion through positive, personal encounters rather than shame or shock, as per report by Nashville Scene and details on The Radical Ranch's website.
From Hollywood to Tennessee
Steve-O found the property while visiting Nashville for a UFC event at Bridgestone Arena in the summer of 2023. He had been searching for a suitable site in Colorado and Southern California, but said the Nashville-area property stood out immediately because of its wooded trails, space and potential for animal rescue. The land offered more acreage than he had originally planned to buy, but Steve-O told the Nashville Scene that it felt like the right fit. A one-mile looping trail around the property helped convince him that the site had the space and setting needed to build a sanctuary. The move also reflected practical concerns. Steve-O said he had been living in the Hollywood Hills when he began hearing that some homeowners were struggling to renew insurance because of wildfire risk, making a move away from California increasingly appealing.
A sanctuary takes shape
The Radical Ranch is now home to nine animals, including rescued goats, pigs, cats and dogs. Among them are three goats named Sam, Drake and Phil, who were acquired in 2019 while Steve-O was still living in the Hollywood Hills and became what he calls the sanctuary's “starter kit.” The ranch also cares for Fonzarelli, a bristly-haired pig rescued after the owner of the animals became terminally ill and could no longer look after them. Steve-O said Fonzarelli arrived the day before the owner died, giving the pig a safe home at a moment when there were few alternatives, as per Parade Pets. Other residents include a cat named Winifred Winfrey and several rescued dogs. The animals are cared for full time by ranch hand Daniel Amaya, the nonprofit's only employee, whom the organisation credits with providing daily feeding, care and attention.
A mission built on compassion
Steve-O's interest in animal welfare began long before he bought the Tennessee property. He has said that his time in clown college and later work with circuses exposed him to the treatment of animals, leaving him increasingly uncomfortable with what he saw. That discomfort eventually became public advocacy. After speaking about circus animals during a 2006 television appearance, Steve-O was invited by PETA to take part in campaigns opposing the use of animals in circuses, and he later adopted a vegan lifestyle during his recovery. The Radical Ranch takes a different approach from much animal-rights campaigning. Rather than relying on distressing images or confrontational messaging, Steve-O wants visitors and supporters to encounter animals directly and recognise their intelligence, emotions and capacity for connection.
Plans to grow
The sanctuary's next priority is expansion. Steve-O has said he would like to add cows, build additional fencing and eventually bring donkeys to the property, which he believes could also help protect cattle. He has also discussed converting a children's playhouse into a chicken coop and creating a tunnel that would allow chickens to enter the goat pen and help control ticks. Horses remain a longer-term possibility, although Steve-O described them as requiring far more skill, work and resources, as per the reports. The ranch's growth depends not only on land and animals but on funding, infrastructure and administration. Steve-O has acknowledged that establishing the nonprofit involved considerable paperwork, but the organisation says all donations go toward animal care, future rescues and paying its ranch hand.
Opening the gates
For now, The Radical Ranch is not open to the public because Steve-O also lives there. He has said he can imagine a future in which visitors are welcomed, but he is not ready to make that change while the property remains his home. Public visits could eventually help fundraising and allow more people to meet the animals, something Steve-O sees as central to the sanctuary's purpose. Until then, the ranch shares photos, personalities and stories of its residents online, giving supporters a way to connect with the animals from afar. Supporters can also contribute through donations or through Steve-O's tattoo fundraising offer. He said he began giving tattoos in exchange for charitable donations after people asked him for ink, with no fixed price, so that cost would not become a barrier to participation.
A different kind of legacy
Steve-O built his reputation on fearlessness, chaos and outrageous stunts, but The Radical Ranch reveals another side of his public life. The same energy that once fuelled Jackass is now being directed toward fencing, animal care, fundraising and plans for future rescues. The sanctuary is still young, and its ambitions remain bigger than its current population of nine animals. Yet its foundation is already clear: a place where animals rescued from difficult circumstances can be cared for, respected and seen as more than background characters in someone else's story. For Steve-O, the ranch represents a chance to turn compassion into something practical. As The Radical Ranch grows, it may become less a celebrity side project and more a lasting refuge for animals that need one.
