Actor Mickey Rourke Kicked Off Show After Homophobic Comments

Actor Mickey Rourke was kicked out of the Celebrity Big Brother house on April 12, after he made homophobic comments a week prior towards his housemate and singer JoJo Siwa. 

Before his removal, Rourke was formally reprimanded by Big Brother for using a homophobic slur towards Siwa, telling her that she would not be gay anymore if he stayed longer than four days in the house, amongst other comments. Siwa replied, saying, “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay, and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

“I’m not sure if homophobic is the word to describe it, but it displays a different type of indecency that isn’t talked about often: corrective rape,” said Amourie Boulware, a second-year pre-dental communicative sciences and disorders major.

Boulware described corrective rape as someone sexually assaulting a gay person, particularly a lesbian, to “cure” them of their sexuality. 

“It’s gross that people aren’t allowed to love who they love without facing some odd comment or predatory behavior, most commonly from cisgender men,” said Boulware.

In the same clip from the reality television show, Rourke told his fellow housemate Chris Hughes that he planned “to vote the lesbian out real quick.” Siwa overheard and replied, “That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning,” according to Entertainment Weekly. 

“It’s embarrassing that someone would even think to say such a thing,” said Camille Birt, a third-year psychology major.

Rourke proceeded to taunt Siwa, saying, “I need a f-g,” according to Entertainment Weekly. He then gestured in Siwa's direction, but said he wasn’t talking to her. Hughes then defended Siwa by telling Rourke he couldn’t say that, and comforted her after the incident.

In a formal warning, Big Brother referred to Rourke’s language as “offensive and unacceptable.” Rourke says that he was “just talking smack,” and later returned to the group and apologized to Siwa, recognizing his “habit of having a short fuse” and not meaning anything by it. Siwa “appreciated” the apology, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Rourke was kicked out of the Celebrity Big Brother house following his usage of “inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour,” according to British broadcast network ITV.

“People kick problematic actors and entertainers off of their platform out of fear of backlash, not because they want to do the right thing,” said Boulware. 

Following backlash from Siwa’s partner, Kath Ebbs, and others on social media sites like X, TikTok, and Instagram, some believe further disapproval for Rourke by Big Brother only ensued due to public scrutiny.

“All forms of harassment should be taken seriously, and this situation is no exception,” said Birt.