Bam Margera has been noticeably absent from the promotion of the new (and final) Jackass film, Jackass: Best and Last, with fans questioning what his involvement is with the franchise.
The actor and skateboarding pro, 46, has had a rollercoaster past, after struggling with alcohol addiction and multiple rehab visits.
Concerns grew when he went missing at the beginning of June2023, before being placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.
Shortly after that, he met his now wife for the first time and recently credited her for turning his life around. He’s now reportedly been sober since September 2024
Here we revisit Bam’s highs and lows in the spotlight.
Joining Jackass – October 2000
Bam was part of the original Jackass lineup when the MTV series premiered on October 1, 2000, and appeared alongside Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and Ryan Dunn.
After initially impressing bosses with his skateboarding efforts, he won over a legion of fans with his outrageous stunts on the program, and went on to appear in the majority of the spin-offs and movies.
Following the success, he went on to tie the knot with first wife, childhood friend Melissa ‘Missy’ Rothstein, in 2007 – with cameras following the lead up to their big day in Bam’s Unholy Union.
First rehab stint – December 2009
Fans were left concerned when the stuntman was rushed to hospital in July, 2009, following a four-day drinking ‘bender’, with his then-partner Missy Rothstein calling 911 after becoming worried.
Bam quickly recovered and told TMZ that his legs and kidneys were impacted by dehydration, with doctors able to flush his system and send him home.
According to Complex, he went into rehab in December of that year after his friends and family staged an intervention, but he did not complete the program.
Divorce and second marriage – 2012
Bam’s divorce from Missy was eventually finalised in 2012, and he started dating Nicole Boyd shortly after.
Following a whirlwind romance, they walked down the aisle in Reykjavik in 2013, before welcoming son Phoenix Wolf in 2017.
Bam previously shared that his drinking intensified during this time, in the wake of close friend and co-star Ryan Dunn’s death in 2011.
He explained that 2012 was the year he ‘lost control’, and was in and out of rehab in the years following this.
Speaking to People Magazine in 2017 ahead of the birth of his child, he said that he found himself focusing more on nightclub appearances after a series of injuries meant he was forced to relearn his skateboarding tricks.
‘I took a five year hiatus from skating because I had bone spurs, so instead I was making money by doing nightclub appearances, which basically was shooting photos and taking shots with the locals,’ he said.
‘So I was s**tbag wasted every night, and eventually was like, “This has to stop.” Once I woke up in my own puke and piss, I knew I had to cut it off.
‘I just reached a point where drinking got really old. I just looked at the big picture, like, “What am I doing?” I’m not doing anything, just sitting in a bar in Westchester cracking jokes with the locals. So I stopped.’
DUI arrest and return to rehab – 2018
Just a few months later, Bam was back in the headlines when he was arrested in LA for reportedly driving under the influence in January, 2018 – and checked into rehab shortly after.
Almost 12 months later, he announced that he was returning to treatment for the third time, sharing the news on Instagram.
‘Off to alcohol rehab for the 3rd time,’ he said, alongside a photo of himself and son Phoenix. ‘I am hoping the term 3rd time is a charm is true.’
Jackass lawsuit – 2021
Despite being in the original line-up of Jackass, Bam launched legal action after he was axed from the filming of Jackass Forever in 2021 over reports that he didn’t abide to terms of his contract.
He alleged that he was made to sign a ‘wellness agreement’ – which reportedly stated that he would be let go if he didn’t ‘blow into a breathalyser three times a day, submit to a urinalysis twice a week, have his hair follicles tested on a regular basis, and take pills every morning while on a FaceTime call with a doctor hired by Paramount’.
He claimed that this was a ‘violation of his civil rights’ and, after being let go, described his termination as ‘illegal discrimination’.
He insisted he was ‘cut out’ of the film and encouraged fans to not go and see it.
‘Who the f**k cares if I’m drunk as hell anymore? Jackass has put me through hell on f*****g wheels for a year and a half,’ he said.
‘I wrote them so many ideas, and if I’m not in the movie and they use my ideas, how do you think that will make me feel? The last thing I want to do is be in a courtroom with [Jackass 4 director] Jeff Tremaine, I love him.’
In the wake of the film being released, he dropped the lawsuit in April 2022.
Second divorce and new marriage – 2023
However, Bam faced more struggles when Nicole filed for divorce in February, bringing their 10-year marriage to an end.
She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their separation, and requested legal and physical custody of their child – but wanted her ex to have visitation rights in the Los Angeles county area.
Things took another turn when he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly at a restaurant in May, before he was placed in a 72-hour psychiatric hold weeks later.
Bam met his partner for the first time in June and recently credited her for his efforts to get sober.
In an interview with US Weekly, the stuntman revealed that he got down on one knee in October 2023.
‘We’re just a really good team,’ he said. ‘I never had structure before. I always woke up not knowing what to do with the day … I would just look across the street, see an Irish pub and be like, “That looks like fun.”
‘Now I wake up, I walk the dogs, I stretch, I go to the gym, I go skateboarding. Everything’s a structured fun schedule.
‘And we do it together, and it’s just a perfect thing.’
‘She’s everything I’ve ever asked for — I couldn’t ask for anything more,’ he added of his bride-to-be. ‘We are a perfect team.’
The couple tied the knot in May 2024.
What is Bam doing now?
As of 2026, Bam is now focusing more on skateboarding than anything else.
Ahead of the release of the latest Jackass film, Bam reportedly signed a deal to only appear via archive footage and doesn’t feature in any of the new stunts.
But the cast, and director Jeff Tremaine, still have nothing but kind words for him despite the turbulent past.
Speaking to GQ Knoxville was asked when he last spoke to him, saying: ‘Maybe six, eight weeks ago.’ The stuntman says he asked Bam if he ‘wanted to come chill.’
‘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,’ he admitted.
Tremaine agreed, adding: ‘Goddamn, it just makes me miss Bam so much. He’s so funny.’