Mickey Rourke received a warning — but not an eviction — from the U.K.’s Celebrity Big Brother after making a series of “homophobic” comments aimed at his housemate JoJo Siwa.
According to the BBC, interactions between the actor and the openly gay internet personality have been laced with Rourke’s “offensive and unacceptable” language, with producers ultimately stepping in with a warning that “further language or behavior of this nature could lead to you being removed from the Big Brother house.”
In one interaction, Rourke asked Siwa if she was interested in boys or girls, to which Siwa responded, “Girls. My partner is non-binary.” Rourke then told Siwa, “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore,” to which she replied, “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship.”
On another occasion, Rourke said en route to the Big Brother smoking section that “I need a fag” — British slang for a cigarette — but then pointed to Siwa and said, “I’m not talking to you.” Rourke also openly strategized on the reality competition that he was “going to vote the lesbian out real quick.”
Following the producers’ warning, Rourke was apologetic. “I apologize. I don’t have dishonorable intentions. I’m just talking smack, you know. I wasn’t taking it all so serious. I didn’t mean any bad intentions and if I did, sorry,” he told producers. The actor also apologized to Siwa, saying, “I’ve got a habit of having a short fuse. And I don’t mean nothing by it. I do mean it [sorry]. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t say it to you.” Siwa replied, “I appreciate your apology.”
A spokesperson for ITV, which is currently airing the British edition of Celebrity Big Brother, said in a statement, “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 behavior and language. Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and instances of inappropriate behavior are dealt with appropriately and timely.”
From Rolling Stone US
