Bam Margera Net Worth

How much is Bam Margera worth?

Choose any group of random people and ask their opinion of Bam Margera, and odds are those that know of him will respond with polar opposite opinions. The star and driving force of the “Jackass” television and movie franchise, known for his daring, fearlessness and occasional self-destructiveness, elicits both love and hate from the greater world surrounding him.

Margera was born on September 28, 1979 in West Chester, PA. As a toddler, he earned the nickname “Bam Bam”, due to the enjoyment he seemed to have for purposely running into walls. From an early age, Margera became enthralled with the world of skateboarding. Living up to his nickname, he began recording footage of himself and his friends skateboarding, at the same time documenting various stunts and pranks from the many dares the group would issue to one another.

In time, the footage would be packaged under the moniker of “CKY”, short for “Camp Kill Yourself.” The videos combined the skateboarding and stunts with the music of the band called “CKY” which consisted of friends Deron Miller, Chad I Ginsburg and Bam’s brother Jess. The timing of release of CKY could not have been any more perfect. The age of viral video was changing the marketing landscape, to the point where the CKY product was hyped and shared in a far more significant way than previous traditional methods. This was a “Do It Yourself” strategy in it’s purest form, and it would make Bam and his cohorts multi-millionaires.

The success of CKY was mainly attributed to the underground market that shared the content via burned or bootleg DVD’s. I still recall a coworker of mine handing me a copy of CKY, saying I needed to check this out! In total, four videos were released by CKY, and by 2002 estimated sales had eclipsed 400,000 units. From the standpoint of low production cost and self-marketing, the videos were a huge success. At the same time, the series would end up being small potatoes compared to the windfall that lay ahead.

As one could probably guess, CKY was widely distributed and wildly successful throughout the skateboarding community nationwide. It also caught the attention of a writer for the skateboard magazine “Big Brother” named Jeff Tremaine, and a little known actor/writer/producer who goes by Johnny Knoxville. Trumaine and Knoxville scheduled a meeting with Margera, the result of which would lead to the creation of “Jackass.”

The threesome of Margera, Trumaine and Knoxville shopped the idea for their new creation, and found themselves on the good end of a bidding war between Comedy Central, FX and MTV. They would ultimately agree to terms with MTV for a skateboard and stunt show which would expand upon CKY. “Jackass” began its run on MTV on October 1, 2000.

In just the second episode of the show, MTV reported its highest ever rating, drawing a staggering 2.5 million viewers! “Jackass” arrived at the perfect moment among the perfect age demographic, and almost overnight launched the careers of everyone involved. Still in his early 20s, Margera found himself a millionaire with fame and celebrity that no toddler running into walls could ever imagine!

“Jackass” the tv show lasted three seasons, at which point the crew set their sights even higher by gracing the big screen with “Jackass: the Movie” in 2002. The film took in an outstanding $60 million on just a $5 million budget! Racing shopping carts down steep hills and “testing” items such as pepper spray, stun guns and tasers had never been so widely popular, or, on the polar opposite end, more idiotic and childish! But there was no denying that Margera and company had essentially created a market for their content that hadn’t existed prior. Now forty three, Margera’s net worth is estimated at $5 million.

Whether the lure of living vicariously through the many stunts and off the wall pranks, or simply being unable to look away from the car wreck, Margera’s courage and daring-some might also say stupidity- were on full display for millions of fans. People loved his presence and persona of living in the moment. “Jackass” had become a franchise that raked in tens of millions of dollars. But along the way, close friend and counterpart of Bam, Ryan Dunn, was killed in a single car accident in 2011, and Margera would find himself on the wrong end of substance abuse.

Feud with Knoxville

As happens with many long running series or franchises, with fame and fortune comes inflated egos and in-fighting. Margera’s issue with substances would rear its ugly head in the opening stages of the fourth movie “Jackass Forever” in 2021. Margera became livid when he was asked to submit to what he felt were very strict guidelines regarding his use of alcohol and drugs during shooting of the film. Margera’s reaction led to Trumaine filed for a PFA on Margera, while Knoxville preferred to keep the feud out of public eye. Bam believed the protocol essentially undermined and sabotaged his ability to work on the movie. After months of Margera airing the dirty laundry and starting litigation against the “Jackass” entity, Margera relented and a private settlement was reached that included Bam’s brief appearance in one scene of the movie.

Summing-Up

Margera has now been in the public eye for over twenty years. The stubborn and bullheaded kid from West Chester has been to the summit of fame and experienced all the tragedy and pitfalls that accompany such a status. Along the way, he gained many fans and many detractors while forging a new type of entertainment, for better or worse. His life has played out in the public eye for all to see, and his charisma and oddball charm has brought smiles(and scowls) to millions of faces. “Jackass Forever” scored a take of $80 million at the box office in 2022, proving the demand remains for their brand of content. They say time can heal all wounds. For the sake of fans everywhere, the saga deserves a storybook ending. Here’s to hoping Margera, Knoxville and crew can patch up their differences and get back to being the idiots they were indeed meant to be!