Bam Margera Receives Promising Health Update After Hospitalization

Bam Margera (real name Brandon Cole Margera) is on the mend after suffering from pneumonia and testing positive for Covid-19. The Jackass star, 43, reportedly tested positive for Covid in the ICU at a San Diego hospital earlier this week after being put on a ventilator. In a statement posted to Margera’s Instagram on Dec. 9, his family confirmed his hospitalization and said he would soon be discharged. “Bam was recently hospitalized,” wrote the Margera family. “Fortunately, he is now testing negative for Covid and receiving care for pneumonia.”Bam is on the road to recovery,” the message continued, “and thankfully will be discharged soon. We ask and thank you for your positive prayers.” Fans and friends of Margera filled the comments section of his Instagram account with well-wishes, including from DJ Steve Aoki, who wrote, “Sending positive energy and love to my bro.”

It has been a challenging year for Margera. In September, he left a court-ordered treatment facility after multiple rehab stints for substance abuse. The incident wasn’t Bam’s first time abandoning treatment; he had previously been absent twice. The former professional skateboarder was open about his addiction issues last year, explaining that he depended on Adderall and painkillers because of his dangerous stunts. As part of his treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, the reality star celebrated one year in a Boca Raton facility in May and planned to attend outpatient treatment classes for the next two months. Margera went missing just a few weeks later, on June 13, and was found by Sheriff’s deputies and a crisis intervention team days later in a hotel. He claimed to have left the treatment center out of concern for his four-year-old son Phoenix Wolf, that he was isolated from his son and worried about not seeing him while in rehab. The stuntman is reportedly estranged from his wife, Nikki Boyd, who has not attempted to contact him since he went into rehab.

His old Jackass castmate Steve-O and the MTV alum spoke candidly on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast earlier this year about alcoholism. However, the host noted in a separate introduction to the conversation that the episode “episode was recorded a while back, and we held onto it until now,” as Margera was reported as struggling with his sobriety recently. In their conversation, Margera confessed, “I did a year of alcohol treatment, and I actually have never felt better.” He went on to say, “I actually didn’t realize I had such a problem that I did. And…” Steve-O interjected and asked, “Did or do (you have a problem)? That’s a distinction that we need to be clear about.” Margera replied, “Yeah, I guess ‘do.’ Because (Brandon) Novak [former fellow Jackass star] said, ‘Dude, if you just do a year you will understand how much better you will feel. Because you always go 30 to 60 days, maybe 90 tops. But if you just do a year you’ll understand.’ And I called him up after, and I’m like, ‘Novak, I understand. I get it. I feel great now.” Margera added, “You know, I do not want that lifestyle. I’ve got a 4-year-old. I don’t miss the hangovers whatsoever. And I just don’t want to return to that anymore.”