Bam Margera: I Nearly Lost My Legs to Alcohol Abuse

Bam Margera candidly revealed that he nearly lost his legs due to his battle with alcohol abuse.

The 45-year-old Jackass star – born Brandon Cole Margera – opened up at an event for new skateboarding video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 about being ‘lost’ as he turns his life around.

Bam has spent recent years battling addiction, legal troubles, and public breakdowns.

In 2021, he was fired from Jackass Forever after reportedly violating a wellness agreement tied to his role in the film.

Two years later, Margera was arrested twice—first for allegedly kicking his girlfriend during a domestic dispute, then weeks later for causing a drunken scene at a Burbank restaurant where his estranged wife, Nicole Boyd, and their son Phoenix were dining.

Following a DUI parole violation, he was released from prison in September and entered short-term treatment.

Bam Margera (seen in LA back in May) candidly revealed that he nearly lost his legs due to his battle with alcohol abuse

 Now the Pennsylvania native is getting real about the terrible shape his legs were in after years of alcohol abuse

He told TMZ that he was feeling like Elvis Presley for his ’68 Comeback Special on Tuesday as he said: ‘You know I got lost for a little while and I didn’t skate for 10 years.

‘And I realized “what made me happy? what got me to where I was then?” And it was skateboarding.’

He credited his wife Dannii Marie – who is a stretch coach – for helping him work to get his legs back to 100percent.

Bam then laid bare the terrible condition that his legs were in due to his drinking.

He explained: ‘You know in 2013, the doctor said they were dry-rotted rubber bands from alcohol abuse so I kind of lost hope. But now they are back to 100percent. I’m skating again. 

‘My passion’s back and I know that if I just focus on skateboarding then everything else comes along with it. You know, when you love what you do and people can see that. That’s when everything else comes with it. You know, I’m an 100percent skateboarder so I’m just gonna stick to that unless I’m too injured.’

This came months after made a surprise return to the spotlight, hitting the red carpet looking healthy, happy, and back in action. 

He told TMZ that he was feeling like Elvis Presley for his ’68 Comeback Special on Tuesday as he said: ‘You know I got lost for a little while and I didn’t skate for 10 years. And I realized “what made me happy? what got me to where I was then?” And it was skateboarding’

He credited his wife Dannii Marie – who is a stretch coach – for helping him work to get his legs back to 100percent; the couple are pictured together in May

Bam then laid bare the terrible condition that his legs were in due to his drinking as he explained: ‘You know in 2013, the doctor said they were dry-rotted rubber bands from alcohol abuse so I kind of lost hope’; Bam is pictured outside an urgent care in 2022

Back in May, he gave fans hope as he stepped out Thursday night for the launch party of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, celebrating the reboot of the beloved game alongside Tony Hawk himself. 

Not only is he featured in the upcoming release, but he brought along his new wife, model Dannii, and the pair looked completely smitten. 

The brunette beauty stunned in a sleek black gown as the couple posed for photos before heading to a private dinner in Los Angeles.

For longtime fans, the sight of Bam smiling and reuniting with Hawk sparked hope that the skater-turned-stuntman may finally be back on his board—and back on track. 

Rumors had swirled for. months that Bam had been cut from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 reboot—until a supposed last-minute intervention from Tony Hawk himself reportedly got him back in. 

Even then, nothing was confirmed until Margera surprised fans by hitting the red carpet at the game’s official launch, looking healthy and beaming alongside his wife.

Given Margera’s troubled history with addiction—and his firing from Jackass Forever —many doubted whether Activision would want to work with him again. 

But insiders say Hawk had the final word, and Margera had already been seen frequenting Hawk’s personal skatepark in recent months, raising hopes for a comeback.

His appearance at the launch came just months after a turning point in his ongoing legal saga. 

Back in May, he gave fans hope as he stepped out Thursday night for the launch party of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, celebrating the reboot of the beloved game alongside Tony Hawk himself 

Rumors had swirled for months that Bam had been cut from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 reboot—until a supposed last-minute intervention from Tony Hawk himself reportedly got him back in

In September, following a DUI parole violation, Margera was released from jail and entered short-term treatment. 

His lawyer, Michael T. van der Veen, told DailyMail.com, ‘He is back on the road to his successful career and wonderful life with his wife.’

Van der Veen said Margera had passed all drug and alcohol screenings for over a year and was ‘interested in getting better’ and ‘getting this case behind him.’ 

The court sentenced him to six months of probation tied to a guilty plea on two counts of disorderly conduct, with terms that included random drug testing and mental health treatment.

Following the plea, Margera told the judge, ‘I just want to say thanks for this whole situation. It lets me clean up my life. 

‘It is a blessing in disguise.’ 

In an interview with MediaNews Group that same month, he added, ‘With the path I was on with alcohol and drugs, I needed to hit some rock bottom to turn things around.’

The charges stemmed from a string of incidents in 2023, including an alleged physical altercation with his brother Jess.

In one previous tirade, Bam hs threatened to ‘smoke crack’ until he was dead unless he was allowed to see his son amid an ongoing divorce battle with his wife Nicole Boyd

Margera was arrested twice—first for allegedly kicking his girlfriend during a domestic dispute, then weeks later for causing a drunken scene at a Burbank restaurant where his estranged wife, Nicole Boyd, and their son Phoenix were dining.

Jess testified that Bam had punched him repeatedly and threatened multiple family members, including his girlfriend and parents. 

‘He was threatening everybody. The whole house,’ Jess told the court. 

‘My girlfriend looked like she had just gotten back from Afghanistan, with PTSD.’

An arrest affidavit stated that Margera fled into nearby woods before he was apprehended.

Margera has struggled with addiction and been in and out of rehab since 2009.