The Original Jackass Star That Won't Be Returning For The New Film (& Why)
The Jackass crew will soon return to the big screen for Jackass: Best and Last, which is rumoured to be the last movie.
There was a similar belief ahead of the release of Jackass Forever, but now, with most of the group in their late 40s and early 50s, it seems more likely that this will genuinely be the last outing. Considering the nature of the stunts they perform and the extremes they inflict on their bodies, the team have definitely earned a rest.
Their swan song, however, won’t be as complete as it could be. Jackass: Best and Last arrives in cinemas in June, and although Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius are back, there is one living member of the OG cast who won’t be present: Bam Margera.
The Jackass crew was created from the union of two pre-existing groups, one headed by Johnny Knoxville (whose Big Brother Magazine crew included Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuña, and Jeff Tremaine), and the other by Bam Margera (whose band of misfits known as CKY consisted of Ryan Dunn, Brendan DiCamillo, and Chris Raab).
The Jackass gang are the perfect blend of fearless and stupid, and have kept audiences entertained for just over 25 years. Having reached this landmark anniversary in 2025, the release of Jackass: Best and Last is perfect, but will the film be the same without one of its founding members?
What Happened to Bam Margera?
Despite Hulk Hogan’s 2018 tweet, Bam Margera is very much still alive. The late wrestling personality famously wrote, ‘Damn Bam I wish you were still with us, I sure would love to hang out again brother love u miss u HH.’ The tweet threw fans into a tailspin until Margera replied, ‘I’m alive brother but miss u too!’ The panic was likely caused by Hogan mixing up Margera with his close friend and fellow Jackass star Ryan Dunn, who died in a car accident in 2011.
Margera and Dunn were as close as brothers, and Dunn’s passing exacerbated Margera’s addictions. The star has had a very public battle with drug and substance abuse, the results of which have seen him hospitalised on several occasions. Bam Margera isn’t the first member of the Jackass team to struggle with addiction, with Steve-O being another. Margera, however, has found it more difficult to overcome, and it was those substance problems that led to his being fired from the production of Jackass Forever.
In order to ensure the safety of his friends when performing a variety of dangerous stunts, Johnny Knoxville insisted that Bam Margera adhere to a strict wellness agreement in order to be a part of the production. This included Margera having to undertake routine drug tests, one of which he is alleged to have breached, resulting in him being removed from any further production.
Margera publicly argued against this ruling, posting – but later deleting – drunken rants urging fans to boycott the movie, before taking the producers to court. The matter was settled out of court, but the rift cast a shadow over the release of Jackass Forever. Despite all the bitterness Bam Margera is seen, very briefly, in Jackass Forever as he appears in the skit ‘Marching Band’, one of the few sequences filmed before his dismissal.
Will He Be in Jackass: Best and Last?
With Bam Margera now more stable in his sobriety journey, fans had hoped that there might be a chance he might be returning for Jackass: Best and Last. Sadly, despite having mended bridges off-screen, it seems that Margera declined to be involved with the final film.
All hope is not lost, though, as Margera will appear in the new movie, just via archival footage. The trailer for Jackass: Best and Last alludes to a film that will partly be a nostalgic trip down memory lane, looking back on some of their best stunts, and partly focused on new, insane skits, which prove the team still has the juice.
Margera granted permission for old clips featuring him to be used, but opted out of being involved in the present-day recordings. While his absence is understandable, it is still sad to think that one of the core pioneers of the show won’t be present to say a final goodbye to Jackass.
Other Shows Featuring Bam Margera To Stream
Everyone had a favourite Jackass performer, and if yours was Bam Margera, there are plenty of ways to see the skater and director in action. After the end of the original Jackass TV show, Margera began a long relationship with reality television as he starred in Viva La Bam, 3000 Miles, and Bam’s Unholy Union. He even briefly became a reality show host for stunt-centric competition Bam’s Bad Ass Game Show.
Of all of his reality shows, Viva La Bam is undeniably the best. The show riffed on the already popular The Osbournes, following Bam and his continuous hairbrained schemes to make the lives of his parents, Phil and April, and uncle Don Vito, utterly miserable. From remodelling their homes to leaving alligators in the kitchen, nothing was off limits when it came to pranking his family members.
In addition to a life in front of the camera, Bam Margera has been directing videos since his time in CKY. The star directed several CKY videos, as well as the movies Haggard and Minghags, which are both focused on CKY members.
Margera also got to live out every music fan's dream by directing several music videos for his favourite band HIM. Bam’s constant fanboying about the Finnish band was almost certainly a factor in HIM managing to break both the UK and US. His videos for all of the singles released from the album Love Metal are all great and notably free of his usual silly anarchic energy.
More recently, Margera has continued directing music videos, this time for a different Finnish band, The 69 Eyes, as well as shifting his attention to acting. IMDB currently lists three projects of his as being in production. The titles, if you want to keep an eye on them, are Burlesque Ghost Hunters, Jesus Cop, and Skater Zombies, which suggests Bam has a future career in horror.
Jackass: Best and Last is set for release in the UK on June 26, 2026.
