Mickey Rourke is planning to take legal action against Celebrity Big Brother U.K. following his ejection from the hit reality series.
The Oscar-nominated actor agreed to leave the show on Saturday, April 12 after producers warned him about inappropriate behaviour and offensive language on-set.
Now, Rourke, 72, is apparently pursuing legal action over an alleged pay dispute after his exit; according to the actor, leaving the show prematurely “cost him a big pay day.” He spent just seven days participating on the show.
In a statement to People, Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines, addressed the actor’s early departure and claimed that Celebrity Big Brother U.K. disrespected Rourke by “publicly embarrassing him.”
“Big Brother is now refusing to pay Mickey his full agreed-upon fee. His legal team is currently pursuing the matter,” Hines said. “To use his name and image in this way, after a long and accomplished career, is an insult to a true cinematic icon. It disregards his legacy and crosses the line of basic respect — both within the industry and on a personal level.”
“There’s no question that when Big Brother booked Mickey Rourke, they were fully aware of both his public persona and how it aligned with his Hollywood rebel image,” Hines said, adding that the show knew his presence would be “explosive, controversial and attention-grabbing — and that’s exactly what they got, and more.”
Hines claimed that the reality show had “promoted his provocative personality, which had already been well-documented in the press, and has become even more evident since the show aired.”
“In our discussions, Big Brother was made fully aware of Mickey Rourke’s background and lifestyle,” Hines’ statement continued. “Yet rather than handle it professionally, they took it too far — publicly embarrassing him and using his removal as a marketing tool. That’s not just unprofessional; it’s deeply disrespectful and damaging.”
Rourke’s departure came after he was involved in a conflict with Chris Hughes, 32, a fellow houseguest and Love Island alum.
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“You looking at me?” Rourke asked Hughes during a pirate-themed challenge after several houseguests suggested there was a rat among the crew.
“Don’t eyeball me. Don’t f—ing eyeball me, c—,” Rourke said to Hughes as other houseguests separated the pair.
Following the disagreement between Rourke and Hughes, a spokesperson for Celebrity Big Brother U.K. said the actor’s language was considered “threatening and aggressive” and noted that no physical altercation took place.
“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 behaviour,” the spokesperson for Celebrity Big Brother U.K. told the BBC.
Big Brother then announced to the house that Rourke would be leaving.
Rourke apologized when he was confronted about his behaviour in the Diary Room, saying, “I’m sorry. I can’t take it back, you know, I stepped over the line.”
“And I take responsibility for doing the wrong thing. Because I lost my temper, and I’ve been trying to work on it my whole life and I wish I would have had better self-control and I’m very sorry. I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there,” he said.
“I blame myself. I know it was my bad, you know, I’ve got a short fuse. I know I upset a lot of people out there,” Rourke continued. “I’m sorry for that. I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that hot. I went over the line, you know, I did wrong. I guess I could say I’m a work in progress.”
Just days before he removed himself from the house, Rourke received his first warning from the production after he directed several homophobic comments toward fellow housemate JoJo Siwa, 21.
In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for ITV, which airs Celebrity Big Brother U.K., said, “All housemates receive respect and inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother senior team to prepare them for living in the house and to set out Big Brother’s expectation for appropriate behaviour and language.
“Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with appropriately and timely.”
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‘Celebrity Big Brother U.K.’ airs weeknights at 9 p.m. BST on ITV1 and ITVX.
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