“Jackass” made household names out of its fearless cast, but not all of its stars remain on good terms. Skateboarder Bam Margera, who has been on the outs with some key figures in the franchise for several years, did not attend the final film’s premiere, nor did he participate.
Margera has spoken out about whether a reunion is possible and where he stands with Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine following their dispute that escalated to court.
“Jackass: Best and Last,” released in late June, marked the franchise’s final film. While old and new cast members reunited at the red carpet, Bam Margera was noticeably absent.
As previously reported by The Blast, his parents, April and Phil, attended the premiere and had high hopes that their son would eventually reconnect with Johnny Knoxville and “Jackass” director Jeff Tremaine following their years-long rift.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, however, Margera seemingly has no intention of reconnecting with the “Jackass” cast, specifically the two people whom he felt wronged him. He prefaced his statement by saying that he will definitely watch the final movie, but in terms of having a reunion with the cast, he said, “It’s not going to happen, not in 10 million years.”
The Skateboarder Has Closed The Door On Johnny Knoxville And Jeff Tremaine
Despite firmly shutting down talks of a reunion with the cast, Margera said he has no “bad blood” with them. April and Phil also confirmed that their son has a good relationship with all the cast, except for Knoxville and Tremaine.
“It’s just the decisions that Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine decided to make. I never want to see them ever again in my life. Enough is enough,” he told the magazine.
In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer in June, Margera said that he agreed for the production to use old footage of him for the final movie, but he refused to participate in new stunts. He also shared that he declined the invitation to attend the premiere because he didn’t want to see anybody, nor did he want to do interviews.
Bam Margera Felt He Was Set Up To Fail
The fallout began before “Jackass: Forever,” the fourth movie, was released. Sometime in 2019, production on the movie began, but Margera’s $5 million contract included a wellness agreement. The skateboarder had been struggling with substances and alcohol, and he was asked to commit to sobriety throughout filming. “I already knew they were setting me up to fail,” he shared.
He was subjected to breathalyzer and urine tests to confirm he was sober. In 2020, however, one of his tests came up positive for amphetamines, and he was subsequently fired from the movie. In his defense, Margera said that it was prescription medication for his ADHD, but the decision was made. “I was very f-cking angry,” Margera said.
The skateboarder sued MTV, Paramount Pictures, Knoxville, Tremaine, and producer Spike Jonze for wrongful termination and medical discrimination. He dropped the lawsuit in 2022 after the parties came to an agreement in an out-of-court settlement, the details of which were never revealed.
Johnny Knoxville Has Nothing But Love For The Former ‘Jackass’ Star
Knoxville talked about his falling out with Margera over the years, but only expressed his concern and love for the skateboarder. In a recent interview with GQ, Knoxville shared his side, admitting that he “drew a hard line” when they decided to fire Margera to help him get sober, much like they did with fellow cast member Steve-O, who battled substance abuse. Steve-O has been sober since 2008.
Knoxville also revealed that he reached out to Margera. “He’s not ready. And that’s fine. As long as he’s thriving and he’s healthy, that’s all I care about. Selfishly, I would love him to be in my life again. But that’s on his own time,” the stunt performer explained.
Bam Margera Is A Few Years Sober
Margera hit rock bottom in 2022. “I pretty much went into five seizures at 20 minutes apiece. I woke up eight days later on life support with a tube down my throat with Covid and pneumonia, and that was pretty much my last straw,” he said.
Several months later, he met his now-wife, Dannii Marie, whom he credits for his sobriety. The couple was engaged in 2023, and they were married in Mexico the following year. “You made me stop drinking and got me back to skateboarding, and I cannot thank you enough,” Margera said in his vows.
Margera said the journey to sobriety hasn’t been easy, but getting back to skateboarding has been instrumental. “Skateboarding is my therapy, my sanity, my medication… All I want to do now is skateboard,” he said.
