Mickey Rourke said that it was 'humiliating' and 'embarrassing' that the status of his finances and living arrangements had become Internet fodder. Photo: The New York Times
Actor Mickey Rourke turned down more than US$100,000 (RM406,250) in donations raised online after he was evicted from his home in Los Angeles for owing nearly US$60,000 in overdue rent.
Rourke, 73, said in a video posted to his Instagram account Monday that it was “humiliating” and “embarrassing” that the status of his finances and living arrangements had become Internet fodder. “I would never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel,” he said.
Eric Goldie, the owner of the house in which Rourke was living, filed a complaint against the actor in late December in Superior Court of Los Angeles County asserting that Rourke owned US$59,100 in overdue rent.
Court documents showed that Rourke had been given three days to pay the balance or move out, and that the monthly rent on the house, a three-bedroom home in the Beverly Grove neighbourhood of Los Angeles, had been raised to US$7,000 from US$5,200.
A representative for Goldie did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Rourke, who is known for a string of movies in the 1980s, including Body Heat, Diner and 9 1/2 Weeks, has had a notoriously rocky career. He has struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, but was nominated for the best actor Oscar in 2009 for his performance in The Wrestler. Last year, he was cast in Celebrity Big Brother U.K. but left the show early after having used offensive language.
Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines, said in an interview Tuesday that the actor had been living in the Beverly Grove house for nearly a decade and that the new owner had purchased the property in 2024.
She said Rourke had been paying the rent until about six months ago “when the conditions became really unbearable.”
Rourke said in his social-media video that mice and rats had been in the house and that “the floor is rotten, one bathtub there’s no water, in two different sinks there was no water.”
Hines said the owner had declined her offer to pay two months’ rent to buy Rourke time.
She said that Rourke had contacted her Saturday asking for assistance. The next day, Hines’ office set up a GoFundMe page, which has since raised more than US$100,000.
“He knew that we were seeking help for him, but I don’t think he understood that it would become such a huge situation,” Hines said, adding that her office had created the page “in the spirit of helping Mickey in a very desperate situation.”
Hines confirmed that Rourke had declined the money raised on GoFundMe. Donations on the page have been paused.
According to Hines, Rourke moved into a hotel in West Hollywood on Sunday. She added that he would move into an apartment in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighbourhood within the next couple of days.
A court hearing is scheduled for April.
“I admire Mickey because he really is a man of principle, and he doesn’t take help or charity or assistance from anyone,” Hines said. “But at the same time, I feel like people love him and he’s in a moment of need.” – ©2026 The New York Times Company
