Former Jackass star Bam Margera was involuntarily taken to rehab on Sunday, September 26th, following a disturbance at a Tampa Bay-area hotel.
As Page Six reports, Margera was at the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach, FLA, when the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office received reports of an “emotionally disturbed person.”The nature of Margera’s behavior was not revealed.
Margera has a legal order against him, requiring law enforcement to take him to rehab. “They received a call that something was going wrong there,” the sheriff’s department spokesperson said.
“When deputies arrived, they were informed that Mr. Margera had an ex parte order, which is a judge’s order for court-ordered rehabilitation. Those are taken out by a third party on behalf of the person.”
The transfer was not considered an arrest, and Margera will not face any criminal charges.
The incident comes after a lawsuit Margera filed against the producers of the forthcoming Jackass film, Jackass Forever, in early August.
Margera filed a complaint on Monday, August 9th with Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that the film’s producers violated his civil rights by forcing him to sign a “Wellness Agreement” and subsequently firing him after a positive drug test.
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The suit, filed against Paramount Pictures, MTV Networks, Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, and Spike Jonze, saw Margera claim that in 2019, whilst receiving treatment at a rehab facility, Tremaine, Knoxville and Jonze “accosted him and coerced him” into signing the “Wellness Agreement.”
Margera alleges that The Wellness Agreement required him to blow into a breathalyzer three times a day, submit to a urinalysis twice a week, have his hair follicles tested regularly, and take medication every morning while on a FaceTime call with a doctor hired by Paramount.
According to the complaint, “Margera did not slip up. He followed the provisions of the Wellness Agreement to a tee, at great personal cost. Defendants’ treatment of Margera exacerbated his mental health issues and led to suicidal thoughts. But still, Margera persevered — only to have the rug pulled out from under him.”
Margera was reportedly fired from the project after “one of the numerous drug tests Margera was forced to submit to demonstrated that he was taking prescription Adderall. Defendants knew full well that Margera had to take Adderall to treat his attention deficit disorder. He had been on this medication for several years.”
In a statement, Jackass star Johnny Knoxville responded to Margera’s claims, writing: “We want Bam to be happy and healthy and get the help he needs. We tried to push that along. I think that’s all I want to say about it.
“I don’t want to get into a public back-and-forth with Bam. I just want him to get better.”
Jackass Forever will arrive on February 4th, 2022.
