Mickey Rourke has officially exited the Celebrity Big Brother house following a string of offensive remarks and growing backlash.
The actor’s abrupt departure on Saturday (April 12) comes as both his conduct on the reality show and disturbing allegations from Bella Thorne sparked intense public reaction.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter, “Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behavior.”
Rourke’s behavior raised concerns from the moment he entered the house on April 7. During his first on-camera interaction with presenter AJ Odudu, he was seen ogling her. Odudu had to ask him to stop looking at her, which set the tone for the rest of his short-lived appearance.
Inside the house, tensions only escalated. The Iron Man 2 star faced immediate backlash for making homophobic remarks toward fellow contestant JoJo Siwa.
When Siwa mentioned she was gay and had a non-binary partner, Rourke responded, “If I stay longer than four days, you [Siwa] won't be gay anymore.” Siwa replied, “I can guarantee I'll still be gay and I'll still be in a very happy relationship,” to which Rourke said, “I'll tie you up.”
He later added he was “going to vote the lesbian out real quick,” prompting Siwa to call his comments “homophobic.” Following this incident, Rourke received a formal warning from producers. “Further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed from the Big Brother house,” they told him.
He apologized and Siwa accepted, but things didn’t stop there.
Rourke made additional inappropriate remarks toward comedian Donna Preston, who was lying in bed with an LED face mask when he said, “You'd probably be better off running round the block for 10 minutes,” and added, “It's like they say, you are what you eat.” The comments appeared to leave Preston visibly uncomfortable.
The final straw reportedly came after a heated disagreement with Love Island alum Chris Hughes. ITV stated no physical confrontation occurred, but described Rourke’s behavior as “threatening and aggressive.”
As the fallout from Rourke’s on-screen behavior continued, Bella Thorne—his co-star from the 2020 film Girl—shared harrowing claims about working with him. In an Instagram post, she wrote: “This f**king dude. GROSS. I had to work with this man – In a scene where I’m on my knees with my hands zip-tied around my back. He’s supposed to take a metal grinder to my kneecap, and instead he used it on my genitals thru my jeans. Hitting them over and over again.”
Thorne added the incident left her with “bruises on [her] pelvic bone” and described the experience as “one of the all-time worst experiences of my life working as an actress.” She followed up with additional accusations on X, including being forced to enter Rourke’s trailer alone to plead with him to finish filming.
Responding to Thorne’s statements, a representative for Rourke told Variety: “These allegations are extremely serious. Mr. Rourke adamantly denies any intentional misconduct. He was not made aware of any such concerns during filming and had no prior knowledge of Ms. Thorne’s discomfort until now.”
The rep added, “Out of respect for all parties and given the gravity of the claims, Mr. Rourke will not be making further public comment at this time. He remains willing to cooperate with any appropriate inquiry through the proper channels. We affirm the right of every performer to feel safe and respected in their work environment.”
Rourke’s exit also puts his rumored £500,000 ($650,000) payday in jeopardy. According to a source speaking to The Sun, “Mickey won’t be receiving all his money from ITV. If a celebrity gets removed from the house, they don't get the full fee.”