Mickey Rourke Denies Claims He Needs GoFundMe Help to Avoid Eviction: ‘If I Needed Money, I Wouldn’t Ask for No Charity’
Mickey Rourke is speaking out after a GoFundMe page claimed to be raising money to help him avoid eviction. The Oscar-nominated actor says he had nothing to do with the fundraising and is asking fans not to donate.
In a video posted to his Instagram on Monday, Rourke addressed the situation while holding his dog Lucky and wearing a pink V-neck and his signature cowboy hat.
“Somebody set up some kind of foundation or fund for me to donate money, like in a charity, and that’s not me, OK? 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,” he said.
Rourke admitted he was confused and frustrated by the page. “Whoever did this, I don’t know why they did it, I don’t understand it. I wouldn’t know what a GoFund foundation is in a million years. My life is very simple, I don’t go to outside sources like that. And yeah, it is embarrassing, but I’m sure I’ll get over it like anything else.”
The GoFundMe, created by Liya-Joelle Jones for Kimberly Hines, had already surpassed its $100,000 goal. The page described Rourke as a once-famous actor who faced hardships after leaving Hollywood to become a professional boxer, leaving him with “lasting physical and emotional scars” and abandoned by the industry.
“Fame does not protect against hardship, and talent does not guarantee stability,” it read, adding that Rourke deserved “dignity, housing, and the chance to regain his footing.”
Rourke urged people not to contribute and to request refunds if they already had. “I’m going to talk to my lawyer — I hate talking to him, but I’ve had him forever and I love him. But I’m going to talk to Bill and get to the bottom of this,” he said.
He also opened up briefly about his financial struggles. Rourke received a notice in December to pay around $60,000 in back rent or face eviction. He explained, “COVID and the writers’ strike killed my money, but I was in a really bad situation with the place I was renting. Everything was good for five or six years, and then two scumbags from New York bought the house and they wouldn’t fix anything … But I would never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel. I mean, that’s not my style. You ask anybody that knows me, it’s humiliating and it’s really f**** embarrassing.”
He added that he is grateful for what he has, noting he still has “a roof over my head” and “food to eat.” “Just get your money back, please,” he concluded. “I don’t need anybody’s money and I wouldn’t do it this way. I got too much pride, man.”
Donors on the page had given amounts ranging from $1,500 to $5,000, with messages praising Rourke as a “film legend and modern icon” and wishing him well.
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