Beloved Hollywood star Mickey Rourke, 73, has courted controversy once again with his latest Instagram post denying that he needs any help paying his rent. His manager’s office had recently set up a GoFundMe account that raised as much as $60,000 in just a couple of days.
The original report from entertainment publication Deadline revealed that Rourke’s management claimed he was facing eviction from his home in Hollywood. Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines, set up the GoFundMe account to cover the actor’s “immediate housing-related expenses.” But after Rourke took to Instagram to call the fundraiser “embarrassing,” Hines quickly changed her tune.
Hines responded by saying, “My assistant started it to help Mickey as a nice gesture because he was being forced out of his home. It was not done with any mal intent. The money has not gone anywhere. If Mickey decides he does not want it, the money will be returned to his fans.”
Rourke’s impassioned Instagram response featured him sitting with his dog on his lap as he tried to explain to fans how he ended up in the situation. He began the message by acknowledging that while GoFundMe remains one of the most reliable ways for communities to come together and help someone in need, he personally would never accept charity.
Rourke has had his fair share of controversy over the years, seemingly always managing to put his foot in his mouth — even recently, when he was ejected from Big Brother for his use of offensive language. At times, his words have even landed him in the crosshairs of the Secret Service after making “colorful” comments about the current administration. Recently, he has opted to keep his mouth shut as often as possible, if that is what it will take to return him to the heights of Oscar nominations and MCU appearances.
In the Instagram video, Rourke assured fans that he is no longer the “wild man” he was 20 years ago. He told them that he considers charity of this nature “humiliating” at this stage of his life and urged them not to give him any of their hard-earned money. Rourke explained that his dispute with his landlord actually had nothing to do with him missing rent for months.
Rourke had been living in a historic Hollywood property that once belonged to The Big Sleep author Raymond Chandler in the 1940s. According to the LA Times, Rourke received an eviction letter in late December and has since been living in a hotel. He now claims the issue with his landlord stemmed instead from the condition of the property.
Rourke believes there is still one more comeback in his back pocket. Few could blame him for that confidence, considering that when he made The Wrestler, the odds were stacked against him and he still ended the year with an Oscar nomination for his performance. But times are different in Hollywood now — production is declining, studios are consolidating, and the current administration is attempting to save the industry through largely inapplicable tariffs.
But if anyone can still conquer these odds, it’s Mickey Rourke.
