- Mickey Rourke upsets JoJo Siwa with homophobic language
- Siwa brought to tears on the tv show
- Rourke given a formal warning for his behaviour
Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke has found himself in hot water for using a homophobic slur on reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother U.K.
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In one clip, the 72-year old is seen chatting with JoJo Siwa and insinuates that he will be able to change the singer’s gay sexuality while in the house.
Read more: Who is Jojo Siwa, The Celebrity Big Brother Star?
Rourke’s actions left Siwa, 21, in tears, with other housemates also unimpressed. He was given a formal warning by Big Brother and told he would be removed if he continued using offensive language.
What did Mickey Rourke say?
The Wrestler star asked Siwa “Do you like girls or boys?” to which she replied, “Me? Girls. My partner is non-binary.”
“If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore,” Rourke added, to which Siwa then said, “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay, and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship.”
The actor later tells Love Island’s Chris Hughes that he’s “going to vote the lesbian out real quick,” which Siwa overheard and told him, “That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning.”
Hughes then told Rourke “You can’t do that Mickey.”
Despite Hughes’ comment, Rourke continued to target Siwa with homophobic language. In need of a cigarette, he shouted out “I need a f*g.” He then gestured in Siwa’s direction as he said, “I’m not talking to you.”
Hughes again tells the actor: “Mickey, you can’t say that.” to which Rourke replied, “I know. I was talking about a cigarette.”
After Rourke walked away, Hughes checked on Siwa to make sure she was okay. He gave her a big hug as she began to cry, telling her, “You know crying is my favorite therapy.”
“This is Big Brother”
Rourke was swiftly called into the diary room by Big Brother. After the entire exchange was read back to him he was told “Mickey, Big Brother thinks your language was offensive and unacceptable. As a result, Big Brother is giving you a formal warning.”
“Right, I understand that. I apologize. I don’t have dishonorable intentions. I’m just talking smack, you know?” the actor replied.
After the diary room, Rourke returned to the group and pulled Siwa aside to apologize. Shaking her hand, he said “I want to apologize. I’ve got a habit of having a short fuse, and I don’t mean nothing by it. I do mean [I’m sorry]. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t say it to you.” Siwa then told Rourke that she “appreciated” his apology.
Rourke’s behavior followed an incident before he even entered the house, where he got a bit too touchy with the show’s co-host, AJ Odudu. After grabbing Odudu around the waist, the actor then twirled her around before pulling her into him, with AJ looking shocked. He also kept leering at her as she was announcing him into the house, prompting her to say, “Stop looking at me.”
