Jackass star Bam Margera has revealed that he’s been cut from the upcoming Jackass 4 by Paramount and asked fans to boycott the film. The 41-year-old former pro-skater has notoriously struggled with drugs and alcohol in recent years and was reportedly only permitted to be a part of the latest Jackass installment if he agreed to stay clean and sober throughout its production.
Though Margera has always been known to enjoy a party-filled lifestyle, things became far more complicated after the death of his best friend and former Jackass co-star, Ryan Dunn. Dunn was tragically killed in a car crash in 2011 and, in the years since, Margera has turned to substances as a means of dealing with his grief and depression. After repeat run-ins with the law and failed attempts at getting sober, Margera even reached out to TV’s Dr. Phil for help. As rumors of a potential fourth entry in the Jackass franchise grew, it was revealed that Margera was permitted to rejoin the cast of the production only if he could stay sober. Throughout the filming of Jackass 4, Margera has been subject to regular urine and breathalyzer tests, and fans were hopeful that he was finally on the right track.
Unfortunately, according to LADbible, Margera has now been cut from Jackass 4 by Paramount. The obvious conclusion is that he failed to hold up his end of the bargain that permitted him to rejoin the Jackass crew in the first place, though Margera contends that Jackass was everything to him and he’s now striving to make his own (crowd-funded) Jackass-like production. Describing his recent parting of ways with the renowned stupid stunt franchise in a now-deleted Instagram video, Margera stated:
"Who the f*** cares if I'm drunk as hell anymore? Jackass has put me through hell on f***ing wheels for a year and a half. I wrote them so many ideas, and if I'm not in the movie and they use my ideas, how do you think that will make me feel? The last thing I want to do is be in a court room with Jeff Tremaine, I love him. But f***, man, I'm not in Jackass 4? If anybody cares about me, don't go see their movie, because I will make mine way f***ing radder if you just Venmo me a dollar. Jackass was everything to me."
A Jackass without Margera likely won’t feel the same for many fans of the franchise, but the rules by which he was permitted to be a part of the sequel were clearly laid out from the start. It is indeed very sad to see Margera’s addictions get the better of him in this way, and his claims that he’ll make a better film than Jackass if fans throw him some money are equally pitiable. In the eyes of Paramount and likely the Jackass crew, Margera has had chance after chance to get himself on the right track and he’s squandered those opportunities. It remains to be seen if his “way f***ing radder” version of Jackass ever comes to fruition, but the odds are very much against him at this point.
While it’s understandable for fans to be angry with Margera over his dismissal from Jackass 4, it’s important to remember that his addictions and depression have such a firm grip on him that he’s constantly fighting an uphill battle. Other Jackass stars like Steve-O have managed to beat their own chemical dependencies, but not every person’s struggle is the same. Hopefully, Margera can make his way back from this extremely difficult situation and the best thing that fans can do at this point is offer encouragement and support while remaining patient.
Source: LADbible