Though the phrase “don’t try this at home” was originally used as a warning to viewers observing stunts being carried out by professionals, it has since grown in popularity and come to be employed by amateurs seeking to add a sense of danger to their actions. While the phrase is most commonly used by those actually engaged in the stunt, it can also be attributed to an action after the fact, such as when individuals commenting on an internet video of a particularly idiotic act comment “don’t try this at home” in an attempt to be funny.

In fact, “don’t try this at home” holds such a well-established place in popular culture that it does not need to be attributed to a video or a specific stunt at all; one can simply view such a stunt and immediately know that it is not an action to be tried at home. Some of the most recent uses of “don’t try this at home” arose in relation to the MTV television series “Jackass” as well as the multiple television spinoffs and three feature films that followed the series.