A rundown of all the chaotic Mickey Rourke drama on Celebrity Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother’s latest season is packed with drama, but nothing — and I mean nothing — comes close to the chaotic energy Mickey Rourke brought with him. The 72-year-old actor (and former boxer) was meant to be the troubled redemption arc of the house. Instead, he was asked to leave the show less than a week in after just about offending everyone in sight.

From creepy comments to full-on “homophobic” remarks, Mickey’s short-lived stay in the house was messy from the jump. So here’s a full breakdown of all the Mickey Rourke controversy on Celebrity Big Brother — because truly, what was that?

It started the second he stepped out of the car

Mickey was already making people uncomfortable before he even got into the house. When hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best introduced him, he grabbed AJ by the waist, spun her around and kept staring at her until she awkwardly told him, “Stop looking at me.” 

According to The Sun, Mickey had said he joined the show because he was tired of bad indie movies and wanted to visit London. He also claimed he “didn’t know anything about this show” and wasn’t worried about his bad habits being seen on camera. And it showed.

The JoJo Siwa incident

Things escalated quickly once Rourke got inside. During a conversation with JoJo Siwa, he joked: “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.”

He also told Chris Hughes that he’d “vote the lesbian out real quick” — which JoJo overheard and called out as “homophobic”. She wasn’t the only one upset. Her partner, Kath Ebbs, posted on Instagram saying Mickey was “a pig” and “a dangerous person,” adding: “I wouldn’t want to be alone in a room with him.”

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Rourke tried to claim innocence by saying he was just asking for a cigarette when he used a slur that is still widely considered homophobic. He then pointed at JoJo and said, “I’m not talking to you.” The whole thing was such a mess that Big Brother called him into the diary room and issued a formal warning for “offensive and unacceptable” language. Mickey’s response? “I was just talking smack.”

Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke REMOVED from UK Celebrity Big Brother house over “inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour.”

His removal comes after he was given repeated warnings over using “inappropriate language” after clashing with Nickelodeon star JoJo… pic.twitter.com/gbuDJL4D92

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 13, 2025

Breaking rules and breaking housemates

He kept pushing boundaries like covering up cameras (big no-no), and refusing to sleep in the shared bedroom. He also kept insulting EastEnders legend Patsy Palmer’s cooking so badly that she ended up crying in the diary room.

But somehow, he survived the first eviction vote, even after JoJo used her “killer nomination” on him.

Then came Ella Rae Wise

On a previous episode, TOWIE’s Ella Rae Wise told Big Brother that Mickey had made “sexual jokes” toward her that made her feel uncomfortable. “I’m a young girl and I’m not a piece of meat,” she said.

Meanwhile, things also got heated between Mickey and Chris Hughes during a pirate-themed task. Mickey shouted saying, “Don’t f***ing eyeball me, you c***.” Big Brother called him back into the diary room. They told him his behaviour was “threatening and aggressive,” and he had crossed multiple lines. Mickey admitted he’d “stepped over the line,” said he was ashamed. He then added, “I did my hardest to get out of here.” Which, if true, kind of worked?

He was removed from the show on Saturday (12th April) after yet another instance of “inappropriate language and unacceptable behaviour.”

via ITV

Mickey’s spokesperson Kimberly Hines defended him in a statement to Us Weekly, claiming he “means well” and is just “old school” and “authentically himself.”

He might not even get paid

According to The Sun, Mickey was due to receive £500,000 for appearing on Celebrity Big Brother — but since he didn’t make it through a full week and was booted for violating rules, ITV might not cough up the cash. Rough.