Celebrity Big Brother: ITV show hit with over 1,000 complaints after Mickey Rourke’s ‘homophobic’ remarks to JoJo Siwa

Rourke, 72, best known for The Wrestler and Iron Man 2, left the ITV1 reality show over the weekend following what producers described as the “further use of inappropriate language” and “instances of unacceptable behaviour.”

The incident that drew the highest number of complaints took place during the April 9 episode, which saw Rourke asking YouTuber and singer JoJo Siwa, 21, whether she “likes girls or boys.” After Siwa explained that she is attracted to women and currently has a non-binary partner, Rourke responded:“If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.”

Later in the episode, Rourke told fellow contestant Chris Hughes that if the show required housemates to vote each other out, he would “vote the lesbian out real quick.”

Siwa, visibly upset, replied: “That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning.” Hughes intervened, warning Rourke: “You can’t do that.”

The situation escalated when Rourke, in another exchange, said “I need a fag”, and gestured toward Siwa, adding “I’m not talking to you.” Hughes quickly told him: “You can’t say that,” to which Rourke replied that he was “talking about a cigarette.”

Rourke was called into the diary room and issued a formal warning by Big Brother, stating that “further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed.”

Ofcom confirmed it received 1,010 complaints related to Rourke’s “language towards JoJo Siwa” during that episode. An additional 52 complaints were received for the April 10 episode, which were “related to housemates’ behaviour towards Mickey Rourke, and his subsequent eviction.”

His removal followed further incidents, including the use of “sexual language” towards Ella Rae Wise and “threatening and aggressive” behaviour towards Hughes. Rourke also received 78 complaints for his conduct during the live launch on April 7, where he twirled co-host AJ Odudu and pulled her body toward him, prompting co-host Will Best to caution him to “be careful.”

Rourke later apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt. Maybe some feelings got hurt or maybe others have feelings about others getting upset but, you know, I’m sorry about that.”

He admitted he had tried his “hardest to get out of here,” and blamed his actions on a “short fuse” and ongoing issues with “self-control.”