While Bam Margera made headlines as one of the outrageous cohosts on MTV’s Jackass, he has admittedly struggled over the years.
“It just seems like everything at one point came crashing down,” Margera — real name Brandon Cole Margera — said during an April 2016 appearance on Family Therapy With Dr. Jenn, revealing his struggles with substance abuse. “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.”
At the time, the former skateboarder noted that the death of his MTV costar Ryan Dunn was a contributing factor. “[It was] just the fact of [me] just being completely lost,” Margera added. “Like, ‘Everything sucks, and the only thing that doesn’t suck is this bottle of Johnnie Walker.’”
Margera completed several treatment programs over the years, ultimately reaching one year of sobriety in May 2022. The next month, he reportedly fled an in-patient treatment facility in Florida after allegedly disliking the program.
Margera got sober in August 2023, two months after meeting now-fiancée Dannii Marie.
Scroll below to relive Margera’s highs and lows:
October 2000
Margera joined MTV’s Jackass — and its various spinoffs — upon its series premiere alongside the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Dunn, Chris Pontius and Jason “Wee Man” Acuña. On camera, the group performed a variety of outrageous stunts and pranks on one another.
October 2013
The Jackass: The Movie star — who previously married Melissa Rothstein in 2007 ahead of their divorce five years later — tied the knot with Boyd in a romantic Icelandic ceremony.
December 2017
Boyd gave birth to the pair’s first child, son Phoenix Wolf, on December 22.
January 2018
Nearly one month later, Margera was reportedly arrested for driving under the influence. He was released on bail several hours later.
January 2019
Margera, who completed several rehab stays through the years, left a facility after just 10 days when he claimed to be sober following his July 2018 relapse.
“By day number 5 in rehab, I realized when I’m bored is when I drink,” he wrote via Instagram. “Well in rehab I am bored 50 percent of the time so I figured out that when boredom sets in and alcohol is off limits, that’s when I get creative as f*ck. So now I am excited with ideas and energy and creation which makes me have no temptation to drink because I am so busy NOT BEING BORED.”
He added: “I left rehab to begin doing all the things I have put aside. To the people who say, ‘You can’t do it ALONE, trust me!’ Well, guess what a–holes … I am not alone! I might not be in rehab with YOU, but I am surrounded by so many sober family and friends, spiritual healers, therapists, sober coaches and my sponsor JJ Diana that I am not alone.”
August 2019
Us confirmed on August 14 that Margera had been arrested for trespassing several months after leaving rehab. At the time, he was being held on bail.
March 2021
The stunt performer added to his tattoo collection with a statement piece on his leg, however, he had been hospitalized for a staph infection shortly after debuting his ink. He since received treatment.
September 2021
Us confirmed that Boyd filed custody paperwork asking for primary legal and physical custody of Phoenix. She asked that Margera have only supervised visitation with their son.
May 2022
The reality TV alum celebrated his one-year sobriety milestone via Instagram, adding a “Bam’s Back” hashtag to his social media upload.
June 2022
Margera has been reported missing after fleeing an in-patient rehab facility in Del Ray Beach, Florida.
June 2022
Following his escape from one treatment center, Margera’s team told TMZ he will continue rehab at another location. He was found at a hotel in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where police reportedly showed up with a crisis intervention team.
December 2022
Margera’s family announced via the TV personality’s Instagram account that he had been “recently hospitalized.”
The statement noted: “Fortunately, he is now testing negative for COVID and receiving care for pneumonia. Bam is on the road to recovery and thankfully will be discharged soon. We ask and thank you for your positive prayers.”
January 2023
The former pro skater revealed he was hospitalized with a serious case of COVID-19, complicated by pneumonia and five seizures in December 2022 and was placed on a ventilator after he was unable to breathe on his own.
“Basically, I was pronounced dead on Dec. 8,” Margera told he said during an episode of Steve-O’s “Wild Ride” podcast at the time. “Did not know that I had gnarly COVID and my body was shutting down. I went into four seizures, each one lasting 10 to 20 minutes. And on the fourth one I bit my tongue so hard it was nearly fallen off. It got so swollen and puffy it wouldn’t fit in my mouth. And I was drinking the infected blood, which gave me pneumonia as well.”
He added, “I couldn’t breathe without a tube down my throat. So I woke up five days later thinking I was there for just a couple hours. I spent eight days in there. Dude, when they took that tube out I felt like I sucked on Darth Vader’s dick.”
February 2023
Boyd reportedly filed for legal separation from Margera on February 15, according to multiple outlets.
The photographer cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. She reportedly asked for both legal and physical custody of the couple’s son, Phoenix, but said she would allow the Jackass alum supervised visitation as long as it occurred within L.A. County.
Boyd also reportedly asked for spousal support, according to TMZ.
March 2023
Margera was reportedly arrested after allegedly making a scene at a Burbank, California, restaurant where his estranged wife and son were dining. According to TMZ, the stunt performer was booked for misdemeanor public intoxication after loudly arguing with a woman at the dining establishment. Us reached out for comment.
April 2023
Pennsylvania State Police were alerted to a “disturbance” at a home in Pocopson Township outside of Philadelphia following an alleged confrontation involving Margera. He reportedly “threatened to kill everyone in the house” and punched his brother in the face before he “fled the residence on foot to the rear of the property through a dense wooded area,” according to multiple outlets. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Three days later, police spokesperson Myles Snyder confirmed to Page Six that Margera had turned himself into the station. The TV personality was “preliminarily arraigned” by a district court judge and bail was set for $50,000.
June 2023
Margera was reportedly placed on 5150 psychiatric hold after being located by officials in Los Angeles. According to TMZ, he was found by police at Danny Trejos’ restaurant, Trejo’s Tacos, and underwent a psychiatric evaluation following erratic behavior. He was then placed into mental health facility where he can legally be held for up to 72 hours.
December 2023
Us Weekly broke the news that Margera proposed to Marie after about six months of dating.
“We’re just a really good team,” he exclusively told Us, revealing he popped the question two months earlier in October. “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.’”
Margera credited Marie for helping him get sober and getting him visitation rights with Phoenix.
