Bam Margera has returned to Australia for the first time in 13 years, arriving in the country on Wednesday ahead of a live speaking tour.
The former Jackass star appeared upbeat as he made his way through Sydney Airport before his scheduled spoken-word performance and audience Q&A.
Margera, 47, opted for a blue graphic T-shirt, black jeans and purple sneakers. He carried a skateboard alongside canvas and Oxford bags, while his short sleeves revealed his extensive collection of tattoos.
He was later seen waiting outside the terminal for a car.
The Australian visit comes after Margera spoke publicly about a serious health crisis in December 2022, when he said he was “basically pronounced dead” after suffering five seizures.
Former Jackass star Bam Margera, 47, arrived in Australia on Wednesday for his first live tour there in 13 years
Margera appeared in good spirits at Sydney Airport ahead of his spoken-word show and Q&A
During a January 2023 appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast, the former professional skateboarder recalled how quickly his condition deteriorated.
“I basically was pronounced dead on Elvis’s birthday, December 8th. I did not know that I had, like, gnarly Covid,” he said.
“My body was shutting down and I went into four seizures.”
Margera said each seizure continued for between 10 and 20 minutes. During the fourth, he severely injured his tongue and began swallowing blood, which he said contributed to him developing pneumonia.
“I bit my tongue so hard it was nearly falling off. 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,” he explained.
He later suffered a fifth seizure and was unable to breathe without assistance. As a result, he spent time on life support in the intensive care unit of a San Diego hospital.
“I woke up five days later thinking I was there for a couple of hours. 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.’”
“So I spent eight days in there,” he added, saying he had no memory of the period when he was unconscious.
The former professional skateboarder wore a blue graphic shirt and black jeans while carrying his skateboard and two bags
His short-sleeved shirt revealed Margera’s tattoos, while silver wings and purple sneakers completed his outfit
Margera previously shared a hospital photograph on social media, writing in the caption: “Pronounced Dead on December 8th, Elvis’s birthday. Life support for 10 days on pneumonia and Covid.”
He was discharged in mid-December 2022 and posted an Instagram photo showing himself in good spirits beside a friend.
“I’m out! Thank you to my friends, family and you for the love, support and prayers,” he wrote, adding praying hands and purple heart emojis.
The update followed a message from his family one day earlier, in which they said he was on “the road to recovery.”
At the time, the Margera family published a statement on his Instagram account confirming his hospitalisation and telling fans he was expected to leave hospital soon.
“Bam was recently hospitalised,” the statement read. “Fortunately, he is now testing negative for Covid and receiving care for pneumonia.”
“Bam is on the road to recovery,” the family continued, “and thankfully will be discharged soon. We ask and thank you for your positive prayers.”
