March 17, 2008

Jackass Star Steve-O Speaks Out About Hospitalization: 'I Did A Great Deal Of Damage To My Brain By Abusing Drugs'

By Jennifer Vineyard (MTV.com)

After news broke late Thursday that Jackass star Steve-O has been hospitalized for observation since Sunday, the stuntman spoke out via e-mail early Friday (March 14), apologizing for hurting his loved ones with "a bunch of manic bullsh--."

Steve-O, whose real name is Stephen Glover, said that it wasn't just one or two friends who took him to the hospital, but a whole crew, including Johnny Knoxville, Jackass producer/writer Jeff Tremaine, producer Trip Taylor, soundman Cordell Mansfield, cameramen Dimitry Elyaschevich and Rick Kosick, and rap partner Reggie "Big Regg" Pace.

Glover's friends had come to his apartment because he'd asked for them to document him executing a stunt where he would take a 25-foot fall onto concrete, but they were alarmed by his statement in the e-mailed invitation that read, "I'm ready to f---ing die."

Glover wrote that his friends "physically forced" him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was placed on a "5150" hold for suicidal behavior. "I had thought of 'bipolar' as a 'good' thing. I rationally deduced, with our time in this life being so limited, it was productive to stick to nothing but extremely high 'highs,' and extremely low 'lows.' Anything but to 'crash on the rocks of mediocrity.' "

Glover said he thought he was "tough" enough to "handle" his chemical imbalance without psychiatric medication, and instead chose to self-medicate, but his "narcotic-induced 'highs' " only made things worse. Now, several days past his initial 72-hour hold (which has been extended into a 14-day stay), the stuntman wrote, "I've figured out that I did a great deal of damage to my brain by abusing drugs, and now that they've all worn off, I'm facing the consequences."

One of those consequences, he said, is that he's realized that his self-destructive behavior "made little-to-no sense" and was "devastating to those who love me the most," meaning his friends and family. "I hope that I haven't disappointed too many of my fans," he wrote. "Actually, ya know what? Anyone that is disappointed by any of these words really doesn't matter to me. I've harmed myself to no end for those people (at the expense of my loved ones), and look where it got me." However, Glover still retains his sense of humor, jokingly calling his psych ward a "loony bin, the "cuckoo's nest" and "insane asylum."

Prior to being hospitalized, Glover had been evicted following an arrest for vandalism of a neighbor's apartment and possession of cocaine. His arraignment on these charges, which was scheduled for Thursday, was continued until March 26.

In a home video filmed after his arrest, Glover is seen saying, "So I just got out of jail. You would think all that time in prison would have taught me something ... I think I might actually unravel."