Mickey Rourke has forcefully pushed back against a crowdfunding campaign launched in his name to help him avoid eviction for $60,000 in unpaid rent.
The 73-year-old actor addressed the controversy directly in a video posted to Instagram on Monday after a GoFundMe campaign seeking $100,000 (£73,789) for Rourke went viral.
The campaign claimed to be raising funds to cover urgent housing costs following a legal notice demanding payment of tens of thousands of dollars in alleged back rent.
Rourke made clear that the fundraiser did not reflect his wishes. Visibly irritated, he said he was ‘confused’ and ‘frustrated’ about how the appeal came into existence, stressing that he had no prior knowledge of it.
He urged fans not to contribute and said he planned to consult his lawyer about having the page taken down.
‘I wouldn’t do it this way,’ Rourke said in the video, repeatedly emphasising his discomfort with asking the public for financial help.
‘There’s only one person I can think of that would do such a thing, and I hope it’s not the person I’m thinking about. It’s humiliating,’ the actor said.
‘That’s not me, okay?’ he continued, then colourfully adding, ‘I’d rather, if I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no f*** charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my a** and pull the trigger.’
Referencing ‘whoever did this,’ Rourke added, ‘I wouldn’t know what a GoFundMe foundation is in a million years. My life is very simple, I wouldn’t go to outside sources like that.’
The fundraiser claimed to be organised by Liya-Joelle Jones, who claimed to be an assistant to Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines. In the campaign description, Jones stated that it had been created with Rourke’s permission, which Rourke now disputes.
The dispute comes amid an ongoing landlord-tenant conflict in Los Angeles.
At the time of the eviction notice, Rourke reportedly owed $59,100 (£43.9k), according to the complaint from plaintiff and property owner Eric T. Goldie.
As the filing outlines, according to People, Rourke started leasing the property in March 2025 with the monthly rent starting at $5,200 (£3.8k) before increasing to $7,000 (£5.1k) a month.
The three-bedroom house is located in central Los Angeles’ Beverly Grove neighbourhood with a renowned history as the home of 20th-century influential crime novelist Raymond Chandler.
The landlord is also seeking attorney fees and the termination of the lease agreement.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rourke insisted he is not destitute. He acknowledged borrowing money from a close friend after experiencing a financial setback linked to a rental property, but drew a firm line between private assistance and public fundraising.
Rourke insisted he would ‘never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel. That’s not my style.’
How did Mickey Rourke lose all his money?
The actor also used the video to reflect candidly on his past, admitting that he had mismanaged aspects of his career and spent decades in therapy addressing personal damage he says shaped his earlier behaviour.
He stressed that he no longer identifies with that version of himself.
While Rourke appealed to donors to reclaim their contributions, the GoFundMe total continued to climb, passing $95,000 by Monday evening.
For now, Rourke says he intends to return to work and reassured supporters that he is coping.
The actor rose to prominence in the early 1980s as a leading man, known for his brooding performances in films such as Diner, Rumble Fish, and 9½ Weeks.
He then stepped away from acting at the height of his fame to pursue professional boxing in the 1990s, a decision that, along with personal struggles and industry conflicts, derailed his career for years.
Rourke later staged a remarkable comeback with his critically celebrated turn in The Wrestler (2008), which earned him a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination.
More recently, his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother made his episodes the ninth-most complained-about show of the year, according to Ofcom.
He was slammed for his homophobic remarks towards JoJo Siwa and sexually inappropriate comments directed at Ella Rae Wise and threatening behaviour towards Chris Hughes.
Apologising for his ‘short fuse’, he said at the time: ‘I’m sorry for that. I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that hot. I went over the line. I did wrong. I guess I could say I’m a work in progress. I just want to pack my bags and leave.’
Despite the various controversies, the actor has had several movies come out in 2025, with more in the pipeline.
Last year, he appeared in Devil’s Play, action thriller Jade and the Roaring Game. Over the summer, it was also announced he would be starring in the indie thriller Mascots.
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