Jackass star Bam Margera has a long-documented public battle with addiction, and a recent comment from his former co-star is shedding light on his heartbreaking struggle. Last night, Steve-O made a public plea to his friend in the comments of an Instagram post that has fans once again expressing concern for the reality star.
Rather than begging Margera to quit drugs, Steve-O seemed to resolve himself to the fact that Margera is “dying” from his addiction, and there’s nothing more he can do.
“You say you want to have a relationship with your son, but your actions guarantee the exact opposite will happen…I’ve tried everything I can but I can’t force you to get honest and do the work of recovery,” Steve-O wrote, referring to Margera’s five-year-old son Phoenix, whom he shares with Nicole Boyd.
Steve-O added, “I wish you could know how much I’ve hated feeling braced for news of your death, but you’re making it clear that I have no other choice. You’re dying, brother, and it sucks that I can’t do anything to save you.”
Margera has joined Steve-O over the past two weeks on a stage tour, which Steve-O had hoped would offer Margera a chance to clean up his act, per TMZ. In light of the comments he posted last night, it seems like that didn’t work out like he hoped.
In the past, Margera has appeared on shows like VH1’s Family Therapy to address and overcome his addiction, and he was fired from Jackass Forever for using Adderall during filming. Johnny Knoxville stated at the time, “We wanted him all throughout the movie, but unfortunately that’s not the way it worked out. It’s really heartbreaking. I love Bam. We all love Bam. He’s our brother, you know? You just hope that he takes it upon himself to get the help that he needs, because we all care about him a lot,” per Variety.
In January, during an appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, Margera told Steve-O that he had been pronounced dead last December after a COVID infection and a series of seizures.
On the podcast, Steve-O recalls seeing his friend in the hospital, saying, “Seeing Bam is on a fucking ventilator, meaning he can’t breathe by himself … you’re in the ICU, intensive care unit, in critical but stable condition, I’m just thinking, oh my god. Like, this is it.”
He admitted, “My first legitimate thought was, fucking Bam better not die, dude.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
