A Timeline Of Bam Margera's Very Public Downfall
When it first launched on MTV at the dawn of the millennium, "Jackass" tapped into the college frat boy humor that permeated the era through its winning combo of pranks and toilet humor. The irreverent and anarchic stunt show launched the careers of its ensemble cast, from leading man Johnny Knoxville to prankster-turned-podcaster Steve-O. But one of the most popular stars to emerge from the series was then-fresh-faced twenty-something Bam Margera.
The skater boy endeared fans with his eagerness to put his body on the line for the general amusement of the public, and even dish some pain out to his own family (he infamously beat up his father as he sat on the toilet). Noted equally for his skateboarding skills, Margera was not a mere crash test dummy for the show's zany hijinks.
Margera toyed with danger on the series, but for all his impressive — and at times downright deadly — onscreen antics, it's in his personal life where the real problems have occurred. Sadly, Margera has been in a continuing downward spiral for many years now. Although he once sought to keep his personal turmoil private, he has been generating headlines in recent years for his increasingly erratic behavior. As such, his actions have caused much concern for both his fans and his co-stars, from whom he is becoming increasingly alienated. But according to Margera, it was the show's elaborate pranks that catalyzed this strife. Let's unpack Bam Margera's tragic trajectory with a timeline of his very public downfall.
Bam Margera was hospitalized after a four day binge
By the late 2000s, the future was looking bright for Bam Margera. He was set to star in "Jackass 3D," he'd completed his movie "Minghags," and his popularity was soaring. But Margera's public downfall soon began.
In 2009, he was hospitalized in a suspected overdose, though he later claimed to TMZ that it was in fact a four day drinking binge that led to severe dehydration. He said that the binge was the result of marital woes between himself and then wife Missy Rothstein. "I may get a divorce ... booze helps," he said in reference to the couple's strained relationship (the divorce was finalized three years later).
That year, he entered rehab for the first time. In an episode of "Radio Bam," the skateboarder detailed his substance misuse and first stint in a treatment facility, recalling the moment in which Rothstein and his friends hosted an intervention. However, he insisted that he did not have a drinking problem and could function in spite of his substance misuse. Although he was supposed to go to rehab for a month, he ended up leaving the clinic after just four days. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that he needed help to stop drinking, conceding that he was at once terrified of the thought. "I'd like to stop," he said. "That's the reason why I agreed to go ... The fact of stopping drinking cold turkey scares me to death because I just don't see that happening."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Ryan Dunn's death exacerbated Bam Margera's woes
There have been innumerable casualties as a result of "Jackass, " namely the severe injuries and concussions suffered by cast members. But some of the biggest "Jackass" tragedies have occurred away from the screen. In 2011, the cast suffered a devastating blow when Ryan Dunn died in a car crash, aged just 34. This left Bam Margera heartbroken as he and Dunn had been best friends for years. Interviewed by Fox 29 following the tragedy, Margera was visibly distraught, crying inconsolably as he grieved the loss of his friend. "It was the worst phone call I ever got in my life," he said.
Subsequently, his substance misuse worsened after a period of recovery. "It just seems like everything at one point came crashing down," Margera said in "Family Therapy With Dr. Jenn." "That's when it wasn't even drinking for the fun or for the social part of it. It was just drinking because [of] total depression, kinda."
In a 2017 interview with People, Margera reflected on this dark period in his life, revealing that he had once again vowed to stay sober. "But then I just reached a point where drinking got really old," he said. "I just looked at the big picture, like, 'What am I doing? I'm not doing anything' ... So I stopped." But by all accounts, Margera simply hasn't been the same since losing his friend and he would once again go on to suffer a relapse.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
He went to rehab again in 2015
In 2015, Bam Margera entered rehab for the second time. However, as with his first stint in rehab, he reportedly did not complete the program. Accordingly, his mom, April, sought help for her son and the pair appeared on "Family Therapy With Dr. Jenn."
On the show, April admitted that childhood trauma may have contributed to her son's substance misuse. She recalled how Bam's father would play a cruel prank on the youngster. "Incinerator Road was this scary, spooky road," she explained. "So he'd take the kids and he'd put his arm out the window and bunk on the roof. You know, [saying it was] dead people falling on the roof, and it really affected him." She later vowed that she would not allow her son to die young. "That's why I am here! I don't want that to happen," she said.
Bam's time on the show proved successful. Subsequently, in 2016, he revealed that he had been sober for three months thanks to Dr Jenn. Chatting to Vice in 2017, he opened up about his issues with substance misuse and also revealed that he suffered from bulimia. He explained that his bulimia was exacerbated by a stunt he used to perform on Steve-O's tour, the "Tequila Stuntman," which entailed vomiting on command. "I think the reason I started throwing up was because I learned how to do it ... I got my fill... but it was all pretty much due to alcohol," he reflected.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Bam Margera's worrying public outbursts
By January 2018, Bam Margera's health was on the decline again. After a period of sobriety, he was arrested for a DUI and sentenced to three years probation. Subsequently, his mom told Page Six that he had entered rehab for the third time, but she urged folks not to judge her son for his personal turmoil. "Everybody has a different story and everybody is going through different things," she explained. "It's not an instant fix ... There are going to be hiccups when you're battling addiction. You're not going to be 100 percent successful the first time."
Sadly, this stint in rehab would prove unsuccessful, and Margera began exhibiting disturbing behavior in public. Prior to a comedy show in March 2019, he was filmed yelling at his manager in an expletive-laden rant. Margera was apparently upset that the venue was empty (audience members weren't set to show up until an hour later), and proceeded to verbally lambast his manager. The show was canceled following the incident.
He suffered another blow to his dwindling public favorability when he was escorted off a flight that August. The star began insulting airline staff after being told he was too inebriated to fly (Margera himself declared that he had downed 50 tequila shots, though later claimed he was lying). Shortly after, he appeared on "Dr. Phil" and discussed the latter outburst. Although he acknowledged that his actions were unreasonable, he failed to take accountability and insisted that he did not have a problem with alcohol.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
He sued the Jackass producers for firing him
In May 2021, it was revealed that Bam Margera had been fired from "Jackass 4" after apparently breaching his contract by engaging in substance misuse. "Everyone bent over backwards to get you in the movie, and all you had to do was not get loaded. You've continued to get loaded, it's that simple," Steve-O wrote on Instagram (via Newsweek), in response to Margera posting an angry video rant in which he called out his pals for supposedly betraying him.
Accordingly, Margera sued various "Jackass" personnel, including Johnny Knoxville, for cutting him from the movie. In legal documents obtained by The Blast, he blamed "Jackass" for his substance misuse, claiming that he had never touched drugs prior to starring on the show. However, he said that once he took on the popular franchise, he became reliant on medication in order to work.
"I became dependent on Adderall and pain medications to maintain the focus needed to satisfy the production schedule of Defendants ... and to manage the pain associated with the injuries I suffered performing the stunts in those productions," he stated. Indeed, he had previously discussed the toll that the show took on his body in an interview with The Inquirer. "The more shots of Crown Royal I'd do, the braver I'd be. Drinking helped me get paid," he admitted. In his lawsuit, he also accused his co-stars of hypocrisy, claiming that they suffered from the same substance misuse issues as him. The lawsuit was settled privately in 2022.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Jackass director Jeff Tremaine got a restraining order against him
Following the "Jackass" lawsuit, the film's director, Jeff Tremaine, was granted a three year restraining order against Bam Margera in June 2021, per TMZ. The skater was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the filmmaker after allegedly threatening to harm him and his family. In a series of text messages obtained by TMZ, Margera threatened to kill Tremaine with one punch, used fatphobic language while accusing him of being money-hungry, and asserted that the director was the person responsible for his mental health issues. "Sign the f***ing contract or your life will change," he wrote in one such ominous text.
"I am in great fear for my and my family's personal safety," Tremaine said in a statement, per People. He added that the increasingly erratic Margera purported to have "wizard" powers and boasted that he was capable of striking lightning.
Margera previously called out Tremaine in an Instagram rant. "My family has f***ing done everything horrible to me and made me jump through hoops," he declared in the unhinged tirade, adding, "and walk on eggshells, which is impossible, and strung me along like a f***ing puppet to get the $5 million I usually get when I make a movie with them because Jeff Tremaine, Big Brother, and CKY has started it." Steve-O responded to the rant by explaining that Tremaine actually tried to help Margera by staging the intervention that ultimately saved his life.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
His bitter custody dispute
Bam Margera's personal woes continued in the summer of 2021 when his relationship with his second wife, Nicole Boyd, became highly strained. In a bizarre video posted to his Instagram account (via InTouch), Margera directed a furious tirade at his wife, proceeding to throw sex toys at her before hurling expletives. He then blamed the birth of the couple's son, Phoenix, for their supposed lackluster sex life. Asking his followers whether they had ever had sex with a woman, he exclaimed, "Well if you have, type me and tell me all about it because I forget cause she's so attached at the hip to Phoenix that I become a two pump chump." Boyd retorted that the couple's sexual inactivity was attributable to Margera's poor personal hygiene.
Subsequently, Boyd filed for sole custody of Phoenix and requested that Margera be granted visitation rights under supervision. Soon after, she filed for a separation from her ex, citing an incident in which an apparently inebriated Margera behaved inappropriately towards his son during a visit. In a statement to People, Boyd's attorney blamed the separation on Margera's issues with alcohol and substance misuse, leading to him apparently neglecting his child.
In a since-deleted Instagram post (via the Daily Mail), Margera claimed that Boyd and her legal team were spreading falsehoods about him. "I have in fact been supporting my son," he insisted. "No one knows my side of the story which makes me sad. But hopefully one day they will."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Bam Margera almost died of COVID-19
We have lost too many celebrities to COVID-19. In December 2022, Bam Margera was hospitalized in the ICU after contracting Coronavirus. Complications arose and he was put on a ventilator, having developed pneumonia. Although Margera was only in his early 40s at the time, his ill health was likely due to being immunocompromised; medical studies have shown that people with a history of substance misuse disorder are more vulnerable to developing serious complications from the virus.
During an appearance on "Steve-O's Wild Ride," Margera opened up about his health woes. Accordingly, he explained that his heart stopped as a result of his severe bout of COVID. "I basically was pronounced dead on Elvis' birthday. Did not know that I had, like, gnarly COVID," he recalled. "My body was shutting down, and I went into four seizures and each one lasting 10 to 20 minutes, and on the fourth one, I bit my tongue so hard it was nearly falling off."
After contracting pneumonia, which was caused by him swallowing his own infected blood, he recalled waking up almost a week later with a tube down his throat, though he thought he had only been in hospital for a few hours. However, Margera appeared more bemused by the situation than frightened, conceding that this was not his first brush with death. "I just blacked out," he said. "I didn't have any out of body experience. I have before, but not on that one."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Steve-O pleaded with his pal to get help
Steve-O is no stranger to substance misuse. The "Jackass" star struggled with the disease for many years. As Johnny Knoxville told Access, he and his pals had to stage an intervention for Steve-O when his substance misuse went out of control, leading to him feeling suicidal. "But he went [to rehab], and to his credit, man, he just stuck with it, and he's been sober two-and-a-half years," Knoxville said.
Having been in the same position as Bam Margera and come out the other side, Steve-O begged his friend to seek help. He made the plea after Margera fled rehab in February 2023 and posted yet another rant on his Instagram (via Page Six). "Bam, last night you had your five year old son with you on stage at my show," Steve-O commented, "and you were blessed with the chance to spend another day or two with him — then as soon as you left my show, you stayed up all night getting loaded enough to think it was a good idea to post more vile nonsense like this." He added that he couldn't force Margera to get help and was thus prepared for his death. "You're dying, brother, and it sucks that I can't do anything to save you," he wrote. The comment quickly went viral.
On "Steve-O's Wild Ride," the podcaster later admitted that he regretted commenting on Margera's post, arguing that it was inappropriate to make his friend's deeply personal struggles public.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
He went on the run after allegedly assaulting his brother
2023 got off to an unfortunate start for Bam Margera. In March, he was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly kicking his girlfriend (via TMZ). However, the charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence. In April, he was involved in yet another domestic altercation, this time with his brother, musician Jess Margera. According to Fox News, Bam allegedly punched Jess in the face and fled the scene, having escaped to the woods before the cops arrived. Subsequently, Pennsylvania police, who charged Bam with assault, harassment, and terroristic threat, launched a search party to find the "Jackass" star.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Bam turned up unannounced at his brother's home. He proceeded to urinate in the kitchen sink before assaulting Jess by repeatedly striking him in the head. Following the alleged assault, Bam apparently told Jess that he would kill him. He also reportedly left his brother a note, which read, "If you even f***ing think of calling the police on me I will officially f*** you up."
After days on the run, Bam eventually turned himself in to the police. He entered a plea of not guilty and was released on $50,000 bail, on condition that he stays away from his brother and does not leave Pennsylvania without the appropriate permission from authorities. Margera denied attacking his brother, but claimed that he lost his temper because Jess supposedly threatened to have him committed to a mental health facility against his will.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Bam Margera's brother says he's dying
The bad blood between Bam and Jess Margera continued into April 2023 when the former declared that he would be suing his brother for defamation after he accused him of using meth. He also vowed to stop drinking for good. Meanwhile, Jess claimed that his brother's aforementioned assault had led to him potentially losing his hearing. "I might have permanent hearing damage from Bam's desperate lame a** little 'attack' while I was making coffee," he tweeted. "If that's the case all of my bands upcoming touring income he will be sued for and I will f***ing win. I'm not a fun enemy to have." He added that if he were to win the lawsuit, all proceeds would go to mental health charities.
On his private Instagram account (via the Daily Mail), Jess claimed that his brother was near death. "I hope none of you have to hurt as much as me right now," he wrote. "He is dying, and there is nothing I can do about it."
However, Bam's attorney, Michael van der Veen, has insisted that this is not true, telling the Los Angeles Times that his client is healthy and looking forward to presenting his case in court. On Twitter, Jess stuck by his assertion that Bam is dying, and dismissed van der Veen's response as callous. "This f***ing lawyer met Bam for the first time ever a few days ago. How does he sleep at night?" he argued.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Bam Margera made some alarming claims about his marriage
The animosity between Bam Margera and his ex, Nicole Boyd, deepened in May 2023. Famously, the couple wed in Iceland a decade earlier. Or so we thought. Now, the skater has claimed that the two were never married.
In legal documents obtained by People, Margera alleged that the pair's marriage is not recognized in the US, and thus illegal. Describing his relationship with Boyd as volatile from the outset, he explained that they would frequently take breaks from one another, with Margera remaining at home in his native Pennsylvania and Boyd often leaving to stay with her parents in California. He claimed that Boyd specifically chose to stay in California because of the state supposedly punishing fathers in custody disputes. "To my knowledge, Boyd has never legally changed her name in any state to 'Nicole Margera,'" he stated. "Every driver's license or other form of identification I have seen Boyd possess bears the name 'Nicole Boyd'." He asserted that Boyd was fully aware of the fact that the two were never legally married, claiming the aforementioned Iceland wedding was a fake ceremony.
However, Boyd's attorney, David Glass, told Page Six that she legitimately believed she had indeed been married to Margera and was thus entitled to spousal and child support. "It was not until just recently that Nikki had ever heard Bam's claim that they were never married," Glass said. "She was told that the wedding would occur in Iceland and that it was all taken care of."