Bam Margera

Bam Margera Claims He Was 'Pronounced Dead' After Suffering 'Gnarly COVID'

Home / News / Bam Margera Claims He Was 'Pronounced Dead' After Suffering 'Gnarly COVID'

By Favour Adegoke on January 7, 2023 at 3:00 AM PST

Former "Jackass" star, Bam Margera, opened up on the recent health crisis that brought him to the brink of death.

Speaking on a podcast, he acknowledged that he was hospitalized because of severe COVID, although he was unaware of it at the time.

The former professional skateboarder was admitted for eight days and faced many of the illness's many side effects, including seizures, a swollen tongue, and Pneumonia.

Margera has been candid about his battle with addiction and has frequently gone to treatment. He and his ex-wife Nikki Boyd are parents to a 4-year-old child together.

Keep on reading to learn more.

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Bam Margera Was Diagnosed With COVID

Bam Margera seen after being released from jail after being arrested for Trespassing
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During his appearance on Thursday's episode of "Steve-O's Wild Ride! Podcast" Margera revealed extensive details about his shocking health crisis that occurred last month.

He confirmed that he was hospitalized due to a bad case of COVID, although he did not realize it early enough. By the time it became known, his immune system had been overwhelmed.

"I basically was pronounced dead on Elvis' birthday, December 8th. I did not know that I had gnarly COVID," Margera told fellow "Jackass" star and host Steve-O, per People magazine.

The incident led to the former professional skateboarder spending eight long days in the hospital as he battled the various ill effects the sickness had brought on.

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He added about the experience, "My body was shutting down, and I went into four seizures, each one lasting 10 to 20 minutes, and on the fourth one, I bit my tongue so hard, it was nearly falling off."

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The Illness Gave Him Pneumonia

Jackass's, Bam Margera
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Apart from having seizures, Margera also came down with Pneumonia, as his bleeding tongue meant he was swallowing infected blood in little doses.

He said. "It got so swollen and puffy, it wouldn't fit in my mouth, and I was drinking the infected blood, which gave me pneumonia as well, so when the shaman took me to the hospital, I went into my fifth seizure, and I couldn't breathe without a tube down my throat."

For most of the period he was hospitalized, Margera was unconscious with no awareness of his surroundings, so it was unsurprising that when he woke up, he believed he had only been in the hospital for a short time.

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"I woke up five days later thinking I was there for a couple of hours," he continued. "They're like, 'Dude, you've been here for nearly a week. We tried to take the tube out, and you weren't breathing on your own.' "

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Bam Margera Celebrated His Release On Instagram

While Margera was out of touch with the earth, his friends and colleagues worried about him and prayed for his survival. Steve-O described that the situation was tough on him as he was "frightened" seeing his fellow "Jackass" star using a ventilator.

Fortunately, Margera's health made a huge bounce back, and he was released on December 10 after doctors had given him the all-clear.

Following his hospital release, he took to Instagram to celebrate, sharing a photo of himself alongside Johnny Schillereff, both donning matching black hoodies with a white heart label on the left side of the chest region.

"I'm out!" he captioned the post, which prompted positive comments from fans. "Thank you to my friends, family and you for the love, support, and prayers."

Bam Margera's Addiction Issues

Bam Margera
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According to Daily Mail, Margera's stint at the hospital was just one of the many challenging situations that the reality star has found himself in recent years.

He has been to rehab multiple times for substance abuse brought on by years of using Adderall and painkillers to aid in performing dangerous stunts while he was still a professional skateboarder.

On a number of occasions when he was admitted to a treatment center, Margera absconded, fleeing twice over the last summer.

The father of one has also endured a fractured wrist, suicidal feelings, and a conflict with the Jackass founders during the past few years. He continues to be estranged from his wife, Boyd, with whom he has a kid named Phoenix Wolf, who is four years old.

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