What you need to know
Mickey Rourke is speaking out after a $100,000 GoFundMe campaign was started on his behalf to prevent eviction.
Last month, the 73-year-old actor and former wrestler was given a notice to pay $59,100 in unpaid rent or vacate his Los Angeles property within three days. A crowdfunding campaign was then launched to “cover immediate housing-related expenses” and “prevent” him from losing his home.
In a video shared to his Instagram profile on Monday, January 5, Rourke mentioned the campaign and claimed he had no knowledge of it.
He said he was “frustrated” and “confused” and couldn’t understand why someone would set up a GoFundMe campaign on his behalf.
“That’s not me, okay?” he continued. “In fact, if you need money, don’t ask for charity. Instead, stick a gun up your ass and pull the trigger.”
Rourke addressed “who did this?” and added, “In a million years, I wouldn’t know what the GoFundMe Foundation is. My life is very simple and I wouldn’t rely on outside sources like that.”
The campaign was started by a woman named Lia-Joel Jones, who describes herself as an assistant to Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines. She said on GoFundMe that the piece was “created with Mickey’s full permission.”
Still, in a video Monday, Rourke called the GoFundMe campaign “embarrassing. But like anything else, I’m confident we’ll get through this.”
Looking back on his career, Rourke said he did a “really bad job” in managing it.
“I was never an extrovert. I had to undergo over 20 years of therapy to overcome the damage done to me all those years ago. I worked hard to get through it. I’m not that person anymore.”
The campaign, which has raised more than $95,000 of its goal as of Monday night, has urged supporters not to donate to the campaign and said he would speak with a lawyer about the matter.
“There’s only one person I can think of who would do something like that, and I hope that’s not the person I’m thinking of. It’s humiliating,” the actor continued.
Rourke claimed that after having a financial stumble with a rental property, he “borrowed money from a great friend,” but “I don’t ask strangers or fans or anyone else for a dime. That’s not my style.”
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For now, Rourke said she plans to return to work and reassured fans that she is doing well.
He concluded by appealing to the fans who donated, “Please give me your money back. I won’t do that. I’m too proud.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Jones, Hines and the GoFundMe for comment.
The property is a three-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot home, according to listings on Zillow.
According to the complaint, Rourke signed a lease in March 2025 for $5,200 a month in rent, which was later increased to $7,000.
In addition to the amount Rourke allegedly owes in back rent, landlord Eric Goldie is also seeking compensation for legal fees, the documents state. Landlords are also seeking to “rescind” their rental contracts.
