The Sad Reason Bam Margera Was Kicked Off The New Jackass Movie
The 'Jackass' curse continues.
Bam Margera appears to be furious with his “Jackass” co-stars and director Jeff Tremaine after being axed from the production of the new Jackass movie, “Jackass 4,” earlier this year.
The famous stunt performer is sounding off on social media, expressing his frustration at how he was treated on the set — but those working on the film have a very different take on what went down.
“So, my family, 'Jackass,' has betrayed me, abandoned me, rejected me. Not all of them, I love all of them and I love them back, but it’s specifically Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville,” Margera said in a video he shared on Instagram on Monday, May 24.
However, Margera has been accused of flouting rules put in place to prevent substance abuse while filming the movie, which may also explain the sudden erraticism about his removal from the set.
Why was Bam Margera kicked off "Jackass 4?"
In February, it was reported that Margera, who has struggled with alcoholism for decades, was given strict regulations to follow in order to secure his place in "Jackass 4."
This allegedly involved “routine drug tests — including urine samples — plus committing to staying sober, blowing into a breathalyzer, taking his medication and seeing a psychologist while on the job.”
In his video, Margera appeared to confirm some of the strict rules while complaining that his "Jackass" family “Made me jump through hoops and walk on eggshells, which is impossible.”
Margera's Jackass co-stars Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville have both responsed to his video.
Fellow "Jackass" star Steve-O responded to Margera’s frustration in the comments of the Instagram post.
“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. “We all love you every bit as much as we all say we do, but nobody who really loves you can enable or encourage you to stay sick.”
Steve-O went on to reference his own addiction issues and defend the "Jackass" team.
“Bam — the two people you’re saying wronged you (Knoxville and Tremaine) are the same two people who organized the intervention which saved my life.”
Margera has spoken about his struggles with alcoholism, bipolar disorder and an eating disorder throughout his years in the public eye and entered rehab three times over the past number of years.
Johnny Knoxville, who was another target of Margera’s comments, responded to his co-star’s frustrations but declined to go into detail about the motives behind Margera’s removal from the film.
“We want Bam to be happy and healthy and get the help he needs,” Knoxville said.
“We tried to push that along. I think that’s all I really want to say about it,” Knoxville continued, adding, “I don’t want to get into a public back-and-forth with Bam. I just want him to get better.”
Why did Jeff Tremaine, director of the Jackass movies, file for a restraining order against Bam Margera?
Jeff Tremaine, who has been involved with the "Jackass" crew since the inception of the show, is allegedly seeking legal action against Margera.
The director is thought to have filed a restraining order against the stuntman in the aftermath of his social media rant.
Fox News reports to have viewed online court records showing Tremaine filed for "civil harassment prevention" in the LA Superior Court on Tuesday, May 25.
The reasons why are currently unknown, and Tremaine has yet to comment, but according to the court website, "civil harassment is abuse, threats of abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or serious harassment by someone you have not dated and do not have a close relationship with, like a neighbor, a roommate, or a friend (that you have never dated)."
Additionally, the court explains a civil harassment restraining order "is a court order that helps protect people from violence, stalking, serious harassment, or threats of violence. You can ask for a civil harassment restraining order if: A person has abused (or threatened to abuse), sexually assaulted, stalked, or seriously harassed you, and [you] are scared or seriously annoyed or harassed."
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.