Johnny Knoxville Reveals Where He Stands With 'Jackass' Co-Star Bam Margera
By Favour Adegoke on October 22, 2022 at 11:00 AM EDT
Updated on October 22, 2022 at 5:21 PM EDT
Popular stuntman and actor, Johnny Knoxville is finally speaking up on his relationship with "Jackass" co-star, Bam Margera.
The pair starred in the 2000s tv series directed by Jeff Tremaine. They continued to play the same characters in other sequels up to "Jackass Forever," where Margera lost his job for violating the terms of his contract, which forbade him from using narcotics.
Knoxville in a recent interview, shared that he had not spoken to Margera in over a year after a falling out. The actor shared that "he wants him to get better" despite their troubled history.
The stuntman also refuted rumors that the "Jackass" franchise had ended and left the door open for Margera to make a comeback once his addiction is conquered.
Read on to learn more.
'I Only Want Him to Get Well'
In an interview with Variety, Knoxville discussed his relationship with his former co-star on "Jackass." The pair had a very public falling out in the wake of Magera suing Knoxville and Paramount on allegations of wrongful termination from the movie's sequel, "Jackass Forever."
According to Knoxville, he and Margera spoke to each other "around a year and a half ago, give or take six months." The former skateboarder had fallen into a deep depression of drug and alcohol addiction at the time, and he has since continued to struggle with it.
The 51-year-old revealed that despite the bad blood from his colleague's termination, he and a few other showrunners had attempted to find a way to assist Margera. He continued by saying that he still had "love" for his colleague and wished him well.
Knoxville admitted, "I love Bam. I know that a lot has happened. I just want him to get well for himself and his family. I love the guy, and I want him to get well and stay well."
Bam Margera's Scenes Were Cut From 'Jackass Forever'
Margera was fired from "Jackass Forever" in August 2020 for violating his contract because of requirements relating to substance usage. Although he still appeared in a few scenes, the majority of his filming was removed from the movie before its release this year.
The movie garnered favorable reviews from many critics, with some saying it was the finest in the series. In addition, it was financially successful, earning nearly $80 million globally against a $10 million budget.
Fans have since speculated if the movie would have been even better if Margera had appeared in it in the wake of the film's popularity.
In response, Knoxville stated that while Margera's return was a possibility, he would first need to free himself from the grip of his inner demons.
Knoxville said, per Variety, "I think that would be a discussion. I only want him to get better. That's the first step. He has to take that step and maintain that step because everything else is just gravy. "Jackass" is not important when you're talking about someone's life."
Johnny Knoxville Speaks On 'Jackass' Sequels
Knoxville's refusal to close the door to a Magera comeback implied a strong likelihood that more sequels of the "Jackass" franchise would debut in the future. This contradicted previous notions that "Jackass Forever" would be the last.
In his interview, Knoxville cleared the air around those conversations, saying that the showrunners have not spoken about ending the franchise. However, he plans to opt-out of any future sequels due to medical advice.
The actor said, "If we did continue, we would lean on the younger cast more, and the old guys would take a little step back but still be a part of it. I would have to step back because my neurologist said I can't have any more concussions."
Johnny Knoxville On The Franchise's Success
Reflecting on the success of the franchise, Knoxville shared that one of the reasons why viewers admired the film series was because" all the pranks are real." He added, "The pain is real. The love amongst the guys is real. The fear on the set is real. We have truth on our side.
As for some of the bad reviews "Jackass Forever" has received, the 51-year-old shared that many critics were unfamiliar with the franchise's history and "hadn't seen anything like it before" when the first installment debuted decades ago.
In the meantime, Knoxville stars in Hulu's tv series "Reboot." The series debuted on September 20, 2022, and portrayed the actor as Clay Barber, a stand-up comedian with a checkered past. Other actors include Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Calum Worthy, and Krista Marie Yu.