Like a lot of dudes in their mid-to-late 30s, I spent way too much time watching Jackass (the 2002 movie was the first time I snuck into a theater), the CKY videos and pretty much anything that involved Bam Margera doing really dumb shit for a quick laugh. I cannot even count how many nights my friends, brothers and I would watch Margera and company pull off some impossible tricks on a skateboard before making life hell for his parents.
That said, you can probably imagine how bummed I was when Margera was dismissed from Jackass Forever before the film’s 2022 release, and then again when he recently explained to one of my colleagues why he was done with the franchise. What hope I had for a return to the old days was shattered in an instant, like a collarbone from a stunt gone awry.
Bam Margera Saying 'The Damage Has Been Done' Seems Like The Nail In The Coffin For Any Potential Returns
When I read Bam Margera’s CinemaBlend interview not that long ago, the realization hit me that, despite the former Element Skateboards pro making great strides in his personal life and making amends, this was pretty much the nail in the coffin for any potential return to the Jackass brand. As he told my colleague Mike Reyes:
They have like new dudes, and what they did to me, making me go to treatment and paying for it, and then not putting me in a movie, and, you know, I had to go to court over it and I just, you couldn't offer me enough money to want to do another Jackass with them. The damage has been done.
Bam saying “the damage has been done” hit so damn hard. It hit harder than a football into that “brand-new” car from CKY, harder than the giant hand from Jackass 3, and harder than tipping over in a shopping cart at a high rate of speed. It’s over, and I have to accept it.
I Had A Feeling It'd Come To This, But I Always Thought The Band Would Get Back Together For One Last Ride
Even when Bam Margera sued his former Jacakss costars a few years ago, I still held onto hope and thought that eventually the band would get back together for at least one last ride. “Never say never” is pretty much the gospel of show business, and for a while there it looked like water would be under the bridge, and Bam, Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville would be jumping over it in a shopping cart before too long.
Call me an optimist, call me a fool, call me someone who’s afraid to let go, I don’t care. I had a feeling it’d come to this and Bam would go his own way, but hope can do a lot to a man-child, especially when it comes to something like Jackass.
I Appreciate Margera's Candor, But I'm Bummed Nonetheless
With Bam Margera being in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 after there were fears that all the drama surrounding him in recent years would prevent him from showing up in the remaster of the 2001 and 2002 skating games, I’m glad he’s getting to a chance to be in the spotlight again. I also appreciate his candor regarding the whole Jackass situation and where he wants to go in life. I truly do..
However, I’m still bummed that he’s not going to be teaming up with his old friends (and even older based on comments he made about Viva La Bam) any time soon. But I’m still going to hope.
If I can’t see new Bam Margera stunts and shenanigans, at least I can go back and watch classic episodes of Jackass, the movies, and a lot of the skater-turned-superstar’s past efforts, with a Paramount+ subscription.
