Why Rob Dyrdek Stepped Out of The Spotlight
Rob Dyrdek truly is a jack-of-all-trades. At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school and moved to Southern California, chasing his dream of becoming a professional skateboarder. Once he achieved that goal, it seems he still wasn't satisfied and wanted more out of life. After starting his own skateboard company, Orion Trucks, he began to dabble in entrepreneurship and other business pursuits. However, his life changed after he scored a reality show with his best friend, "Big Black" Boykin called Rob & Big. From there, he continued to expand his brand and his presence on television, becoming one of the biggest names in the industry. However, in recent years, Dyrdek has stepped out of the limelight and is hardly mentioned anymore, check out why.
He Married His Long-Time Girlfriend
In September 2015, Dyrdek finally married his long-time girlfriend, Bryiana Noelle Flores. The couple was engaged at Disneyland Resort in April 2015 after Rob literally put on a show. While watching the Aladdin performance, Dyrdek made the excuse that he had to go to the bathroom.
He then went behind the stage and carried out a public proposal that was only fitting for his level of energy and over-the-top nature. He came out on stage riding an elephant, asking Bryiana to be his wife.
He Became A Father
After enjoying some time together and having a "babymoon" in Bora Bora, Dyrdek and his wife welcomed their first child on September 9, 2016. They named their son Kodah Dash Dyrdek, and his father couldn't be more thrilled.
To show his respect for his wife, Dyrdek wrote on Instagram, "As much as I love this woman with all of my being, I could never express how proud I am of how strong she is [...] "I have been in awe of how well she has handled the difficult task of growing a child and preparing to become a mother."
He Had Another Child Not Long After
Just a year after the birth of their son, in 2017, the couple announced the birth of their second child, a baby girl they named Nala Ryan Dyrdek. Currently 45 years old, Dyrdek took his time to start a family, but he's made it clear that he's happy with his decision.
His career had always been his top priority, but as he got older, he decided that it was time to make a change and dedicate time to his wife and children.
He Keeps His Personal Life Private
Although almost every aspect of Dyrdek's life used to be filmed and shown to the public, after settling down, he's been making an effort to keep his personal life and business life separate.
However, his issues with the cameras started back during the days of Rob and Big when he felt that MTV wasn't giving him enough space. After the final season aired in 2008, MTV asked if he wanted to shoot one more, but he knew that he wanted to do something different.
Taking The Cameras Out Of The House
Dyrdek knew that he wanted to continue making reality TV and being in front of the camera, he just wanted to do it somewhere less private.
In an interview with ThoughtCo. he admitted, "My businesses were being affected, my skateboarding was being affected, and I hated that it was being filmed at my house [...] "So, once we had a little break, it evolved. I thought, what if I added a skatepark to my business? This was the beginning of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and a new era for Dyrdek.
His Relationship With DC Shoes Came To An End
At the beginning of his professional skateboarding career in 1995, Dyrdek was sponsored by Droors Clothing, which would become DC Shoes. Being one of the first skateboarders DC ever sponsored, the two had a symbiotic relationship.
The company helped support and promote Dyrdek, even helping him land a reality show, and Dyrdek acted like a walking advertisement. However, the relationship came to an end when the parent company Quicksilver filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Quicksilver went on to reject Dyrdek's contract and hired on a new team of skaters.
He's Been leaning More Towards Entrepreneurship
Although he got his start in skateboarding, it's clear that he had caught the entrepreneurship bug early on in his skating career. Dyrdek started his first skateboarding company when he was just 18 years old, selling skateboard parts under the name Orion Trucks.
Although the company had success, he honed his skills over the years eventually built an empire off his mind for business. Today, he spends much of his time and energy helping others scale up their business, something that's not as entertaining as Fantasy Factory.
He's Busy Running The Dyrdek Machine
The reason Dyrdek's life doesn't completely revolve around skateboarding and reality television anymore is that he's heavily involved with running his venture studio, Dyrdek Machine. The company served as a legal holding company for all of Dyrdek's various adventures.
He best describes it as a part branding agency and part venture capital firm. The Dyrdek Machine was officially launched in 2017 and is key to having a hold of all the new companies he takes on.
He Has A Lot On His Plate
Running the Dyrdek Machine, Dyrdek typically has more than a dozen different companies in the works at all times and all different sizes. On top of that, he still works closely with the companies that are still in development.
Although he's known to be picky when he chooses the projects he wants to work on, he still has an incredibly diverse portfolio. However, he is known to make exceptions for other entrepreneurs who are equally as excited about building brands as he is.
He Was Over Reality Television
Like most other reality TV stars, Dyrdek felt that reality television was taking a lot out of him. It's a lot of work to have cameras in your face for the majority of the day, especially when you're trying to run a business.
However, he isn't completely done with television altogether. He is still involved with the show Ridiculousness, which he hosts along with Sterling Brim and Chanel West Coast. The show has been on-air since 2011. Today, most of his responsibilities focus on finding and curating content.
He Co-Founded Black Feather Whiskey
Dyrdek may be picky about the companies that he chooses to work with, but he's also no stranger to playing favorites. One of his current favorite ventures is Black Feather Whiskey, which he became a co-founder of. Their whiskey is currently available in Utah, California, Texas, Colorado, and Florida, with plans to spread nationwide.
He notes how Black Feather became one his favorites stating, "Black Feather immediately rose above, due to the innovative and passionate group of individuals driving the brand that embody this 'do-or-die' spirit."
He's Dipping Into The Virtual Reality Market
Dyrdek is currently involved with another eccentric company. Although many people might not have heard of it, that might change very soon. Dyrdek is now the owner of Ultracast, a virtual reality content platform in order to create "immersive experiences" for their customers.
Even though the company is still in its early stages of development, Dyrdek has high hopes for the company, especially since virtual reality technology is definitely on the rise. We have to wait and see where it goes.
He's Interested In All Kinds Of Technology
Ever since Rob & Big, it's been clear that Dyrdek always likes to have the newest toys and was always interested in experimenting with new technology. Whether it was the net guns or indoor high-speed go-carts, Dyrdek had to have them and had to play around with them.
He's no different when it comes to investing in technology, and is always on the lookout for the next big thing, willing to spend his time and money to get involved.
He's Following Trends
In recent years, it's clear that living a healthy lifestyle has become incredibly popular, especially among young adults. So, Dyrdek being the person he is, knew that there would be a place in the health market for him if he worked hard enough.
There are so many different products on the market geared toward health, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to try his hand at it. He decided to take his talents to the "clean eating" side of the industry and created a unique snack.
Getting Into The Health Industry
Dyrdek's response to the recent health craze was the brand Momentous. He refers to it as "the premium Ferarri of supplements," a protein made from plants, and what he considers to be a safer alternative to the other questionable supplements out there.
In addition, he's also working with Oustanding Foods, a company putting out plant-based to grocery stores. One of the products they make includes "pigless bacon chips," along with other healthy and tasty snacks made strictly from plants.
He Struggled With The Death Of His Best Friend
Although they may have had their fair share of arguments off-camera during the filming of Rob & Big, Dyrdek and "Big Black" Boykin always shared a special bond. Unfortunately, in 2017, Big Black passed away from a sudden heart attack at the young age of 45.
The two had been side-by-side for years and his death took a toll on Dyrdek. After Big Black passed away, Dyrdek had to take some personal time to grieve for his friend.
Losing A Brother
Even after Rob & Big had wrapped up filming in 2008, that didn't mean that the two went their separate ways. They stayed incredibly close with Big Black making several appearances on Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness as well. Dyrdek took to social media after he passed to share his feelings with his friends.
He posted on Twitter: "We truly were brothers that lived an unexpected unforgettable adventure [...] I just can't fathom that it would end so suddenly. You will forever be in my heart."
He Runs A Foundation
As successful as Dyrdek is, he uses his influence and money to do good in the community as well. In 2003, Dyrdek founded the Rob Dyrdek Foundation that has since merged with the Street League Skateboarding Foundation. The foundation goes around building sanctioned skate parks for skaters across the country, something Dyrdek is especially passionate about.
Dyrdek understands the plight of being a skateboarder and how they don't always have the resources they need to do to practice their passion. So, he decided to try and help.
He Prefers To Be Behind The Scenes
Although at the beginning of his career, Dyrdek may have relished being the center of attention and in front of the camera, times have definitely changed. Now, he prefers spending time with his family and working on his various businesses and ventures off-camera, following his passion for entrepreneurship.
Although you may still catch him on Ridiculousness, today, he much rather prefers to be working behind the scenes, executing ideas and putting his plans into motion.
A Bright Future
Although Rob Dyrdek may no longer be putting out professional skateboard videos or harassing his friends and family with a tennis ball gun, his career is far from over. If anything, it's just getting started.
In recent years, he's made a few lifestyle changes that he feels are the right thing to do for he and his family's future, but he's still Rob Dyrdek. You never know, in the future, some of the biggest products on the market might be because of Rob Dyrdek.
Being A Family Man Looks Good On Him
It's been three years now since Dyrdek first became a dad and clearly, he's a natural. His first son, Kodah Dash, was born in 2016, and Nala Ryan followed in 2017. Here they are at the pumpkin patch for Halloween 2019.
If his boys turn out to be anything like him, it's going to be one rowdy household! The boys are a quarter Filipino since their mother Bryiana is half.
His Music Career Went Down The Pipes
Back in 2002, Margera started the band Gnarkill with his brother Jess, Jackass cast member Brandon DiCamillo, and a few other friends. Margera claimed that Gnarkill was nothing but a good reason for him to get drunk and record songs on his tape recorder. The band released two albums:Gnarkill in 2002, and Unkle Matt and the … in 2006.
However, the band broke up after not long after the release of their second album. Margera attempted to revive his music career with the band F-Face Unstoppable, however, that group fell apart on account of Margera's heavy drinking, progressively worsening after the death of his best friend Ryan Dunn in 2011.
He Saw Some Success On Sirus Satellite Radio
In 2014, his band F-face Unstoppable also broke up, cancelling a tour after only just three shows for many of the same reasons that Gnarkill decided to call it quits. However, more recently, he has supposedly been making music with a new group called the Eavesdroppers.
However, while he was struggling as a musician, he found some success on Sirius Satellite Radio where he hosted a long-running weekly show called Radio Bam. Yet, after almost a decade of the show being on the air, the show suddenly disappeared from the scheduling in 2013.
He Tried His Hand At Making Movies
Besides the Jackass films, Margera tried legitimate acting as well. In 2003, he co-wrote and co-starred in Haggard: The Movie, a comedy that starred Margera as well as a few other members of the Jackass crew. The film was a low-budget, independent comedy, although it was loosely based on a real-life relationship of his best friend Ryan Dunn that ended due to his unfaithfulness.
Then, in 2008, he starred and directed the sequel Minghags, which featured many of the same characters from the first film. Unsurprisingly, both films were released straight on DVD and didn't receive much attention. In 2008, another film that went straight to DVD was his Christmas comedy, Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% Is Santa?
A Documentary In The Works
Although he's tried his hand at low-budget comedy films a few times, apparently, he’s been working on a documentary for quite a few years. The film’s titled Where’s My Needle?! The Brandon Novak Story. The film is expected to be adocumentary about the skateboarder Brandon Novak and his struggle with addiction for the majority of his life.
In 2016, the production team released a trailer, however, the film appears to still be looking for a distributor. Furthermore, according to Margera’s IMDB page, he’s also planning on playing a police detective in an upcoming thriller titled Kidnapped.
He Opened Up A Club Called The Note
In 2006, Margera approached businessman Don Moore with the idea of opening up a bar/restaurant/club in his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Note opened two years later, although he spent much of his time battling community objections to the club, mostly because of his well-known party reputation.
The Note wasn't allowed to do many of the things other establishments could, such as offer take-out-beer or host happy hour. They even had to hire extra security guards at all time. Still, Margera spent most of his time there with his friends while Moore handled the business side of things. In 2014, The Note closed after Moore grew tired of being the sole caretaker.
He Was Brutally Assaulted At His Club
After 2010, Margera began frequenting The Note less and less after a brutal altercation he had there. One night, a woman named Elizabeth Ray came down to The Note to complain about the noise since she lived right up the street.
She claims that Bam was dismissive about her claims and even hostile towards her. Margera admitted that he was out of line in some of the things that he called her. However, Ray claimed that Margera even went so far as to call her a racial slur.
Things Got Out Of Hand
Enraged, Ray went home and grabbed her baseball bat, only to return to the club. There, she found Margera and allegedly struck him hard in the head with the bat. Margera was rushed to a local hospital intensive care unit where he stayed overnight and was checked for major head injuries.
Ray was arrested on assault and reckless endangerment charges, but posted bail and was released. In an interview with The Philadelphia Daily News, she claimed that she was innocent although all evidence pointed to her assaulting Margera.
He Had His Fair Share Of Female Problems
When Viva La Bam was on the air, Margera was often seen with his fiancée, Jenn Rivell. However, although the couple was married, they divorced in 2005. Only a year after their divorce, Margera filed for a restraining order after Rivell supposedly tried to break into his house.
Yet, Margera found love again, and in 2006, he started dating and eventually proposed to his childhood friend Missy Rothstein. The events and their lives leading up to their wedding became the center of yet another series titled Bam's Unholy Union.
Darkest Before The Dawn
Even though there was a TV show leading up to their wedding and the two did get married, it still didn't work out. In 2009, Margera ended up in the hospital after a four-day drinking bender, around the same time that the two were already undergoing marriage counseling due to Margera’s struggles with addiction. Although the two eventually separated, their divorce wasn’t finalized until 2012.
However, Margera wasn’t going to give up on finding the woman he desired. In 2013, he married an artist named Nicole Boyd. In December 2017, after four years of marriage, the two welcomed their first child, a boy that they named Phoenix Wolf.
He Tried Becoming An Author
In 2009, Margera made an attempt at becoming an author with his first book being Serious As Dog Dirt. The book was a compilation of his drawings, personal photos, and excerpts of his random thoughts. However, his work was not well-received by his fans.
One disgruntled buyer even went so far as to write "Bam should be embarrassed to have put his name on this, but someone handed him a pile of money to hand over his notebook. DON'T BUY! I promise you will be disappointed." It looks like Margera got the message after that.
He Even Dipped His Toes In The Game Show Business
After some years away from television, he returned to host a TBS series titled Bam's Bad [Explicit] Game show. Co-created by Margera, contestants would complete stunts from the show Jackass (although significantly toned down). Unfortunately, for Margera, the show was canceled after just six episodes on account of horrendous ratings.
Yet, it wasn’t all Margera’s fault. The show was going up against huge programs running at the same time, such as WWE and the NBA playoffs, which even massive Margera fans weren’t willing to miss for his game show.
His Uncle Got Into Some Serious Legal Trouble
Margera's uncle, Vincent Margera, better known as Don Vito, was part of the Viva La Bam family. He was well-known for his ridiculous behavior, nonsensical speaking, and for always getting slapped around and insulted by Bam.
It didn’t take long for him to become a celebrity himself and he began to appear at public events with Margera and the rest of the Viva La Bam crew. But then, in 2006, at a meet-and-greet in Colorado, he ended up getting into some serious trouble when he groped two girls age 14 and 12.
Bam Took His Uncle's Side
For his actions, Don Vito was charged with sexual assault. Seeing how he has acted on the show and in the past, Margera's fans weren’t incredibly surprised by this, although they were disgusted. What was surprising was how Margera brushed off his uncle’s crimes and stood by his side, proclaiming that he was innocent.
He claimed that the trial was a "frivolous lawsuit" and that his charges were nothing more than a way for the lawyers to steal thousands of dollars from his uncle and to get their names in the paper. Regardless, Vito was ultimately found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
Margera Had A Really Rough Time In Iceland
In 2015, one of Margera's bands were booked to play the Secret Solstice Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland. The show went fine, and afterward, Margera proceeded to get extremely drunk. He tried to make his way into the control room. At the door, he was stopped by two female security guards who informed him that he wasn’t allowed past that point. Margera then went on to become violent, yelling offensive and nasty things at the two women.
The nearby Icelandic rap group Glacier Mafia saw the commotion and came over to investigate. Then, they delivered such a beat-down to Margera that he was left knocked out cold with some serious damage to his face.
Seeking The Help That He Needed
After the incident in Iceland, in 2015, Margera and his mother April appeared on VH1's Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn. It’s no secret that Margera had been partying exceptionally hard for years. The loss of his best friend Ryan Dunn in 2011 sent him completely off of the rails. After what happened in Iceland, April contacted the producers of Family Therapy to stage what turned out to be a full-blown intervention for Margera.
His mother expressed how she honestly thought that Bam was going to die if he didn’t get help or stop partying. Thankfully, Bam made the decision to help himself and stopped drinking cold turkey.
Quitting Cold Turkey Wasn't Enough
By 2017, it appeared that Margera finally had his life back on track. He wasn't getting roaring drunk all the time, or being beat up by people for being intoxicated. But then in December 2017, shortly after announcing the birth of he and his wife’s first child, Phoenix Wolf, Bam learned the hard way that battling addiction isn’t something to be taken lightly.
On January 8, 2018, Margera was arrested for driving under the influence after he was pulled over for using his cell phone while driving. The police noticed signs of intoxication, in which he then failed a sobriety test. He was arrested and released on a $15,000 bail.
Getting Real Help Was His Only Choice
Only a few days after the incident, Margera checked into rehab for alcohol addiction, even posting a picture on the Internet from the bathroom of the facility. He commented that the layout of the bathroom allowed him to go to the bathroom and floss at the same time, showing that his spirits were still high.
Former Jackass member Steve-O, who had faced his own issues with addiction in years prior, let Margera know that the road ahead is long and steep. Steve told TMZ that "Rehab is like a gym, just because you've got a gym membership doesn’t mean you’re going to get really fit. It just depends on what you do when you get there."
The Charges Were Still Hanging Over His Head
Although he had checked into rehab for his addiction, it didn't mean that the charges for his arrest had disappeared. He had not one, but two things that he was charged with upon his arrest. The first was for driving under the influence, and the second was for driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.8% or higher which Bam was well above.
He was scheduled to face a judge on February 1, 2018, where he could have faced up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. Luckily, for Margera, he was not sentenced to jail but instead three-years probation, fines, and to order to participate in a "live in" program.
Focusing On A New Documentary
In 2015, although he may still have had a few other projects underway, Margera announced that he had been working on a new documentary. He had already put three years into it, naming the filmI Need to Stay useless. The documentary follows Margera's journey from growing up with essentially nothing as a young man to becoming one of the biggest celebrities on television with the help of Jackass.
He has also planned to include dream-like scripted sequences about Ryan Dunn, portrayed by Mastadon guitarist Bret Hinds. In 2016, the film was renamed Earth Rocker and has yet to be released except for a few test screenings.
Back To Rehab…
Although things seemed to be turning around for Bam, he ran into some major troubles several months after his January 2018 rehab stint. In January 2019, Bam returned to a rehab facility for the third time.
This was following a relapse after he was robbed at gunpoint while on vacation in Colombia in late 2018. He claimed that seeing the minibar in his hotel room after the disturbing event led to him relapsing on a couple of beers. The drinking quickly spiraled out of control, leading to his return to rehab in January.
Third Time In Rehab Was Not The Charm
Bam left the rehab facility after just 10 days in the program. In a lengthy journal entry that he posted online, he claimed that he didn't need any professional help, like detox or medication, to quit drinking alcohol.
He also said that rehab was completely unproductive, as he was sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Bam claimed to be missing out on lucrative business deals and that he needed to be making money, not sitting around doing nothing.
Bam Has A Complete Meltdown
It turns out that Bam wasn't able to detox from alcohol on his own. In March of 2019 he had a complete meltdown. Footage emerged of him blowing up at his manager at a comedy club where he was set to perform. Early on the same day Bam had posted a video of him complaining about his wife, Nikki Boyd.
In the videos posted to Instagram, Bam hysterically called Nikki an "[expletive] street ho’ who 'took all my credit cards and went back home.'" He then threatened “If I don’t see her at the show, I’m canceling!”
The Comedy Show Didn't Go As Planned
After arguing with Nikki on the street, Bam showed up visibly intoxicated at the comedy club. He was upset that the crowd wasn't larger and demanded to know where everyone was. His manager tried to tell him that it was too early for the full audience to be there.
"We came early because you said to come early," the manager can be heard in a video of the incident. But Bam couldn’t be persuaded, and canceled the show. He also threatened to smash his manager’s face, all caught in a shocking video posted online. In the video, Bam called his manager a number of expletives before threatening him.
His Friends And Family Are Deeply Worried
A week after his comedy club meltdown and tirade against his wife, Bam's friends and family staged an intervention for the troubled 39-year-old. He was "unwillingly" brought to a behavioral facility — his fourth attempt at sobriety.
Sources close to his family told TMZ that they had to have him committed because he was resistant to getting help and they were increasingly worried about him. Some of Bam’s closest friends fear that he is battling a personality disorder in addition to abusing alcohol.
