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Jackass alum Bam Margera made more than his share of headlines last month after he reportedly fled from his court-ordered rehab on two separate occasions. He was found and returned on both occasions, but rumors swirled that the departures were at least somewhat related to a split with his wife. Well, those suspicions seem to have been confirmed because the skateboarder has reportedly hired an attorney to deal with custody issues stemming from that break-up.
According to TMZ, Bam Margera has secured a family law attorney with an eye toward working out a custody agreement with his estrange wife Nikki Boyd for visitation of their son Phoenix. Margera is currently in Florida at his rehab facility, while she’s back in California. She reportedly filed a petition to the court asking for full custody of the kid and asking that all of her ex-husband’s visits be supervised. He wants to start having contact with his son immediately, but her attorney is reportedly waiting on updates from the rehab facility before moving forward.
These legal issues are just the latest in a series for Margera over the last year or two. The longtime Jackass star was booted off the set of Jackass Forever over concerns about sobriety. Production moved forward without him, and he was almost entirely left out of the final cut. That exclusion led to angry words, a lawsuit and even director Jeff Tremaine filing a restraining order after Margera allegedly made some bizarre threats.
Most of the public comments from the other stars of Jackass, however, have been very sympathetic. Steve-O, who battled for years with addiction before getting sober, said the requirements for Margera to take drug tests and stay clean for Jackass Forever were done out of love and done by the same people who saved his life. Franchise leader Johnny Knoxville has repeatedly said all he wants is for Margera to get healthy, and many of the other guys have said similar things.
Once a freewheeling, hard-partying atmosphere, the Jackass franchise has gotten a lot healthier and more careful over the years, particularly after the death of cast member Ryan Dunn who died in an automobile accident after leaving a bar. He was just 34. Dunn was particularly close to Bam Margera, appearing as a principal cast member in his spinoff show Viva La Bam.
At this point, it’s unclear whether Margera’s hiring of the family law attorney is a sign that things may get very contentious or if it’s simply a formality so the custody issues can get officially worked out and registered with the court. It’s all quite complicated given he’s still working to complete the terms of his rehab and is on the complete other side of the country. Hopefully all parties are able to stay sober and do whatever is in the best interests of Phoenix.
