Johnny Knoxville Breaks Silence on Bam Margera Getting Fired from Jackass 4
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Johnny Knoxville has responded for the first time about Bam Margera’s addiction issues and firing from the upcoming Jackass 4.
Margera, a Jackass star since its inception on MTV in 2000, was axed from the upcoming sequel in February for failing to abide by conditions set forth by Knoxville and the producers – including staying sober and seeking mental health counseling.
Knoxville broke his silence on the controversy in a new GQ cover story, telling the publication, “We want Bam to be happy and healthy and get the help he needs. We tried to push that along. I think that’s all I really want to say about it.”
In the wake of his firing, Margera posted a series of erratic Instagram videos claiming the Jackass team put him through “torture” and made unreasonable demands – such as taking a myriad of medications – in order for him to stay on the project.
When asked to respond to the allegations, Knoxville said, “I don’t want to get into a public back-and-forth with Bam. I just want him to get better.”
Margera isn’t the only Jackass star who’s had his struggles with addiction. Ryan Dunn died in a 2011 drunk-driving accident, while Steve-O publicly battled drug addiction before getting sober in 2008.
Knoxville told GQ it’s been immensely challenging watching his close friends and castmates battle their demons. “It’s difficult when your friends are… It was heartbreaking, losing Ryan. And it was tough when Steve-O was going off the rails. But he has completely, completely turned his life around and is doing just—I mean, he’s doing terrific. He’s a different, different man.”
Asked if he felt that the show, or the lifestyle around it, was responsible for exacerbating his co-stars’ struggles, Knoxville responded, “I think each of us was responsible for his own actions. And when someone’s struggling, everyone tries to help that person. And at the end of the day, that person has to want help. Sometimes they don’t. Yet.”
On Sunday night, prior to the release of Knoxville’s GQ story, Margera posted an Instagram video saying Knoxville and Jackass director Jeff Tremaine “betrayed, abandoned and rejected” him. Margera claimed that in order to remain on Jackass 4, he had to “jump through hoops and walk on eggshells” as part of his “stupid fucking contract.”
Steve-O, who celebrated 13 years of sobriety in March, directly responded to Margera’s allegations. “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,” he wrote. “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. 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.”
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