When the first trailer for Jackass: Best and Last dropped on April 27, 2026, it confirmed something fans had long debated: whether Bam Margera would ever find his way back to the franchise that made him a household name. The answer turned out to be both yes and no — and that ambiguity is exactly what makes his situation so compelling to watch unfold.
Margera appears in the trailer via archival footage, glimpsed in previously unseen scenes cut from Jackass Forever, the 2022 film from which he was fired mid-production. It's a bittersweet cameo — the face is familiar, but the circumstances surrounding it are complicated enough to deserve a full reckoning. As the franchise prepares to close its chapter for good on June 26, 2026, Margera's story has become inseparable from its ending.
The Trailer Drop: What We Know About Jackass: Best and Last
The official trailer for Jackass: Best and Last landed with the kind of chaotic energy the franchise built its entire identity on. New stunts include an "Escape Room from Hell," electric chairs, robots, and shock collars — the creative team clearly hasn't lost its appetite for inflicting creative discomfort on willing participants. The film is billed as the definitive final entry in the franchise, with a theatrical release date of June 26, 2026.
The franchise began 26 years ago as an MTV show that aired in 2000, eventually spawning four feature films before this fifth and final chapter. That longevity — a quarter-century of men hurting themselves for the entertainment of millions — makes the send-off genuinely significant. This isn't a franchise limping to the finish line; it's one that earned the right to call its last shot.
Johnny Knoxville, the ringleader who has always served as the franchise's spiritual center, is a noticeably different version of himself heading into this final film. During Jackass Forever, he suffered a brain hemorrhage, concussion, broken wrist, and broken rib after being pummeled by a bull in one stunt — injuries severe enough that he has publicly stated he can no longer perform stunts involving head injuries, having exceeded his safe limit for concussions. The man is not indestructible, and Best and Last will carry some of the weight of that reality.
Bam Margera in the Trailer: The Archival Footage Deal Explained
Margera's inclusion in Jackass: Best and Last is the result of a negotiated deal struck earlier in 2026. He did not film any new content for the movie — his appearance comes entirely from archival footage, specifically scenes from Jackass Forever that were never released. As confirmed earlier this year, this arrangement represents a middle ground — Margera gets a presence in the franchise's farewell, but he is not returning as a full cast member.
According to reporting from LADbible, Margera told TMZ he agreed to the deal, but described significant PTSD from the entire ordeal. He cited years of costly treatment during the COVID era — treatment undertaken specifically to remain part of the franchise — that ultimately didn't result in him being included in Jackass Forever when it was released. That context matters: this wasn't just a professional disagreement, it was a period of genuine personal crisis wrapped around a contractual conflict.
The Firing, the Lawsuit, and the Settlement: A Messy History
To understand why Margera's archival cameo carries as much emotional weight as it does, you need the backstory. In 2022, Margera was fired from the production of Jackass Forever after testing positive for Adderall, which constituted a breach of a wellness agreement he had signed as a condition of participating in the film. The wellness agreement was not punitive in spirit — it was designed to give Margera a structured framework under which he could work, given his well-documented struggles with addiction and mental health. But when the breach happened, the production moved forward without him.
Margera's response was to sue. He filed a lawsuit against Paramount and the Jackass creators, alleging wrongful termination and other claims connected to how his contract had been structured and executed. The case was eventually settled out of court, with terms that were not made public. The archival footage deal appears to be part of the ongoing negotiation of that relationship — a way of acknowledging Margera's foundational role in the franchise without reopening the wounds of 2022.
This is not an uncommon dynamic in entertainment. Franchises built on ensemble casts frequently outlast the harmonious relationships that created them. The way legacy connects to personal turbulence in show business is rarely clean, and the Jackass saga is a particularly raw example of what happens when a person's public persona becomes entangled with their private battles.
The Long Shadow of Ryan Dunn's Death
No honest accounting of Bam Margera's trajectory skips over June 20, 2011 — the night Ryan Dunn, his closest friend and fellow Jackass cast member, died in a car crash. Margera has spoken openly about how Dunn's death accelerated and deepened his drug and alcohol issues. The two had grown up together in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and their friendship predated Jackass by years. Losing Dunn wasn't just losing a colleague — it was losing a person who had been central to his adult life since before either of them was famous.
Margera's last stunt work for the franchise came in 2010, filmed for Jackass 3D. The gap between that and Jackass Forever was more than a decade, and those years were not kind to him. His public struggles were well-documented: multiple stints in treatment, erratic social media behavior, strained relationships with family, and a complicated public image that shifted from beloved prankster to cautionary tale in the eyes of many observers.
It's worth sitting with the fact that Margera clearly wanted to be in Jackass Forever. He signed the wellness agreement, underwent treatment, and tried to meet the conditions set for his participation. The Adderall positive that ended his involvement was the kind of setback that defines the uneven, non-linear reality of addiction recovery — not a moral failing, but a stumble in a process that rarely moves in a straight line. Whether the wellness agreement's terms were fair or realistic is a question the out-of-court settlement left permanently unanswered.
What the Franchise Meant — and What Closing It Means
The Jackass franchise is genuinely difficult to replicate or categorize. It arrived in 2000 at a moment when reality television was beginning its takeover of the cultural landscape, but it wasn't quite reality TV. It was closer to a performance art project executed by a group of friends who genuinely didn't seem to care about the consequences to their bodies. The stunts were the point, but the friendship visible underneath them was the texture that kept audiences invested.
Four feature films over more than two decades is an extraordinary run for any franchise, let alone one built on physical comedy that depends on participants being willing and physically able to endure punishment. The fact that Best and Last exists at all — that Knoxville and the remaining crew are willing to do one more — suggests the franchise still has something genuine to say rather than just revenue left to extract.
Coverage of the new trailer has emphasized the mix of new stunts alongside the retrospective feel the film promises. The title itself signals intent: this is explicitly a "best of" compilation paired with genuinely new material, designed to function as both a highlight reel and a proper send-off. That's a harder balance to strike than it sounds.
What This Means: Analysis of Margera's Return and the Franchise Legacy
The decision to include Margera via archival footage rather than new filming is, on balance, the right call — and it's worth being specific about why. A full reconciliation and on-screen return would have required either pretending the last four years didn't happen or making them the explicit subject of the film. Neither option serves the franchise's stated goal of a celebratory farewell. The archival approach lets Margera's presence honor his actual contribution to the franchise — which was enormous — without forcing a narrative of resolution that may not reflect reality.
Margera's contribution to the early Jackass era was not peripheral. The Bam Margera character — the suburban Pennsylvania kid with the skating skills, the willingness to torment and be tormented, and the genuine warmth underneath the chaos — was one of the franchise's defining personalities. His absence from Jackass Forever was felt by longtime fans in a way that went beyond nostalgia.
The PTSD Margera has described is also worth taking seriously rather than treating as PR. He reportedly underwent extensive and expensive treatment specifically to be part of a film that then didn't include him. The emotional and financial toll of that experience is real, and the fact that he agreed to this archival deal despite that history suggests either a genuine desire to be part of the franchise's ending, a financial component to the agreement, or both. His willingness to participate — even in this limited form — reads as an act of complicated grace.
For fans, the practical takeaway is this: the version of Margera you'll see in Best and Last is a younger one, captured before the hardest years. That may actually be the most fitting tribute available — not to where the relationship ended up, but to what it was at its best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Bam Margera fired from Jackass Forever?
Margera was fired from Jackass Forever during production after testing positive for Adderall, which violated a wellness agreement he had signed as a condition of his participation. The wellness agreement was intended to provide a structured framework for his involvement given his documented history of substance use issues. The breach triggered his removal from the project, after which he filed a lawsuit against Paramount and the Jackass creators that was later settled out of court.
Is Bam Margera actually in Jackass: Best and Last?
Yes, but in a limited capacity. Margera does not appear in any newly filmed footage — he did not participate in production of Best and Last. Instead, he appears through archival footage from Jackass Forever that was never previously released. He struck a deal allowing this footage to be used in the final film, making him a visible presence without requiring a full reconciliation with the franchise.
When does Jackass: Best and Last come out?
Jackass: Best and Last is scheduled for theatrical release on June 26, 2026. The film is billed as the final entry in the franchise, which originated as an MTV show 26 years ago and has produced four prior feature films.
What happened between Bam Margera and the Jackass creators?
After being fired from Jackass Forever in 2022, Margera sued Paramount and the Jackass creators over his contract termination. The case was settled out of court with undisclosed terms. Margera has spoken about experiencing significant PTSD from the ordeal, particularly given the expensive treatment he underwent during COVID-19 in order to qualify for the wellness agreement — treatment that ultimately didn't result in his appearing in the film.
Will there be more Jackass films after Best and Last?
Based on current statements from the team, Best and Last is intended as the definitive final film in the franchise. Knoxville's physical limitations — he has publicly stated he can no longer perform stunts involving head injuries after exceeding a safe concussion limit — make any future return unlikely. The title itself signals closure, and the film is being marketed explicitly as a farewell.
The Bottom Line
The Jackass: Best and Last trailer gave fans what they wanted and what they didn't know they needed: confirmation that Bam Margera would be part of the ending, even if the terms of that inclusion are complicated. For a franchise that has always operated in messy, uncomfortable spaces — physically, emotionally, legally — it's fitting that the finale arrives with some of that same messiness intact.
Margera's story isn't over, and his relationship with Jackass won't be fully resolved by whatever archival seconds he gets in a theatrical cut. But his presence there, drawn from footage that was once cut and now restored, is its own form of acknowledgment. The franchise knows it can't tell its story honestly without him. That's not a small thing.
When Best and Last hits theaters on June 26, 2026, it will mark the close of something that genuinely doesn't have a comparison point in entertainment history. A group of friends, 26 years, and a body of work that somehow remained more human than the machinery around it. Whatever you think of the stunts, that's worth watching one last time.
