'Jackass' Star Bam Margera Placed On A Ventilator After Being Hospitalized For Pneumonia

Famous stuntman, Bam Margera, has reportedly been hospitalized and put on a ventilator after testing positive for COVID-19 and pneumonia. The former professional skateboarder has had a tough year due to his on-and-off treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.

Margera shot up in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the popular MTV reality stunt show, "Jackass," and has starred in its several sequels since then. The reality star was dropped from "Jackass Forever," the fourth movie in the franchise, earlier this year after violating a nonsubstance abuse clause in his contract.

Read on to learn more.

Margera is in the middle of an alarming health crisis that placed the former professional stuntman in a hospital. TMZ revealed that he was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia, further complicated by his positive Covid-19 testing. Margera was admitted earlier this week to a San Diego hospital.

The reality star was placed in the ICU, and while he has been reportedly put on a ventilator, his current condition is stable. The recent news concerning Margera's condition comes months after the skateboarder celebrated one year of treatment for substance abuse at the Boca Raton facility.

The reality star had also planned to be a part of the outpatient treatment classes for the next two months. A few weeks later, however, Margera was reported missing by the rehab facility after escaping for the second time.

After the June 13 report by the facility, a crisis intervention team, and the sheriff's deputies, formed a search team to find him. Margera was discovered in a hotel in Deerfield Beach, Florida, a few days later and moved to a different rehab facility.

According to TMZ, when asked why he left the treatment facility, the reality star claimed he was worried he was being prevented from seeing his son. Margera also expressed concern over not being able to raise his son from rehab. He has been on the outs with his wife, Nikki Boyd, for a while now, so much so that she did not attempt to reach out to him since he was admitted.

Margera broke his right wrist in May and dislocated his right elbow after a skateboarding-related incident. Despite his obvious pain, the "Jackass" star neglected to take pain medication, citing his sobriety journey. Margera has been in the rehabilitation center for a year after the September 2021 incident that had the authorities respond to an emotional disturbance call.

TMZ revealed that during one of his rehab stints, Margera got in contact with an attorney who told the reality star that he could be taken out of the court-ordered treatment. Since then, he has been spotted in places like Atlanta and Las Vegas, seemingly living his best life in bars and clubs.

Margera was reportedly spotted in Koo Koo Room in Atlanta in September with several unidentified people. Eyewitnesses claim they saw the reality star consuming alcohol and doing a lot of name-dropping. He was seen in Las Vegas a month after doing pretty much the same thing.

The "JackAss" star is currently the subject of a movement titled the "Free Bam Movement" to end his court-ordered rehab stay. The campaign is reportedly borne out of online speculation that Margera's family had placed him under conservatorship, similar to what Brittany Spears experienced. After receiving death threats over the summer, the family reportedly released a statement to address the rumors.

According to an earlier report by TMZ, Margera was placed back in his court-ordered rehab program. This time, however, the judge made significant changes to his arrangement to benefit him and everyone around the stuntman. To stop Margera from escaping from the facility like he did prior, he was no longer mandated to be an inpatient.

Over the past few months, there were reports that the "Jackass" star had fled his court-ordered rehab on several occasions. His escape was usually short-lived, and Margera was usually located and brought in by law enforcement to continue his treatment.

The new approach was needed because of how regularly Margera attempted to escape from the facility. Hopefully, the outpatient approach will produce better results than the previous one. The restrictions on the actor are still as strict as in an actual facility mandating him to attend classes, remain sober, and continue meeting with a psychiatrist.