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JoJo Siwa’s partner Kath Ebbs has said they feel ‘sick to their stomach’ over vile homophobic remarks made by Mickey Rourke.
There have been calls for ITV to axe the Sin City actor, 72, after he told Siwa, 21, she ‘won’t be gay anymore’ after his company for four days.
After the Karma singer pushed back against his offensive comments, Rourke told Chris Hughes his plans to ‘vote out the lesbian real quick.’
The Barfly actor also told Siwa he ‘wasnt talking to her’ when he expressed his desire for a ‘fag’, a slur that can also mean cigarette.
It’s not the only time Rourke’s behaviour has come under fire after he repeatedly grabbed and acted inappropriately towards host AJ Odudu.
On Instagram, Ebbs told Rourke he ‘looked like a f**king foot’ and said his comments were ‘rooted in misogyny and violence’.
What did Mickey Rourke say to JoJo Siwa on Celebrity Big Brother?
On Celebrity Big Brother 2025, Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke sparked uproar with homophobic comments that he made towards internet sensation JoJo Siwa.
Speaking in the House, Rourke, 72, asked Siwa, 21: ‘So do you like girls or boys?’
‘Me? Girls,’ Siwa answered, to which Rourke responded: ‘I know, I could tell.’
After the dancer shared that her partner is non-binary, the housemates who were in the garden started to talk about the eviction due to take place that week on Friday night.
‘If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore,’ Rourke remarked, as Siwa said back to him: ‘I can guarantee I will still be gay and I will still be in a very happy relationship.’
‘I’ll tie you up,’ The Wrestler actor replied.
‘I can promise you that won’t happen,’ Siwa stated. ‘I dare you to try, you’ll be the one tied up.’
Rourke then spoke to some other housemates, asking about the process of voting out other contestants on Celebrity Big Brother.
‘I’m going to vote the lesbian out real quick,’ he said, as Siwa – who was lying on a sun lounger – turned her head towards him and declared: ‘That’s homophobic.’
‘Eh?’ Rourke asked, as Siwa continued: ‘That’s homophobic if that was your reasoning.’
After the actor repeated that he was going to ‘vote the lesbian out’, he then exclaimed: ‘I need a fag’ in reference to wanting a cigarette.
However, he then gestured towards Siwa and quipped: ‘Not talking to you,’ seemingly referencing the f word that’s used as an anti-gay slur.
Love Island star Chris Hughes, who was sitting next to Rourke, told him: ‘You can’t say that Mickey,’ while Siwa kept her composure and said: ‘One breath at a time troops, one breath at a time.’
After Hughes repeated his warning to Rourke, the actor insisted that he had been talking about a cigarette before walking off on his own.
The reality TV star went over to check on Siwa, consoling her as she cried in his arms over the upset. At the same time, Rourke was called to the Diary Room, where he received a formal warning for his remarks.
Later on inside the lounge, Rourke went over to Siwa as he told her: ‘I want to apologise,’ telling her that he has a ‘bad habit of having a short fuse’.
‘I don’t mean nothing by it. Ok sorry,’ he said as he shook her hand, while she told him that she appreciated his apology.
Rourke’s homophobic comments towards Siwa happened a day after he was criticised for touching presenter AJ Odudu ‘inappropriately’ on stage.
They said: ‘When [Siwa] shuts him down, he goes, “I’m going to get rid of you”, which is rooted in misogyny. If men deem you unf**kable, then they have no use for you.
‘If the male gaze is not a part of this situation, and I have no power over you sexually, which also, no offense Mickey, you look like a f**king foot, so you don’t stand a chance with anyone anyway, because you’re a f**cking loser, then he’s like I’m going to bully you, you’re not going to play into my creepy jokes, then I’m going to bully you and say that I don’t want you here.’
Ebbs said there were ‘so many layers’ to Rourke’s interactions with Siwa that made them feel ‘sick to my stomach.’
On Celebrity Big Brother, Rourke was given a formal warning and was reminded of the show’s expectation for appropriate behaviour.
Ebbs said they welcomed the warning but remained concerned by Rourke’s ‘dangerous, dangerous language.’
They continued: ‘I would not want to be alone in a room with him and wouldn’t want anyone to be alone in a room with him.’
Rouke apologised to Siwa after the housemates attempted ‘to help him understand why his comments were offensive.’
He said: ‘I want to apologise. 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.’
However, Ebbs contested Rourke’s ‘short fuse’ defense, saying: ‘You revealed yourself and the way you really think about people and about women. And you feel a little bit ashamed as you got called out for it on a TV show.
‘Instead, read a book. Interrogate your behavior and think about if you had a daughter or a sister or someone you really loved who is a woman. Would you leave them alone in a room with you?’
A Big Brother spokesperson told Metro: ‘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 behaviour and language.
‘Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with appropriately and timely.’
Metro has also reached out to Rourke’s rep and lawyer for comment.
On X, Rourke’s behaviour has outraged fans, with Jacob saying: ‘Mickey is such a vile man…just remove him from the house.’
Echoing their sentiment, Hannah shared: ‘He has shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever, vile behaviour from Mickey.’
Crystal added: ‘Big Brother have a duty of care and therefore Mickey making them comments should’ve resulted in him being removed. A formal warning is not good enough.’
Ebbs is an Australian actor, writer, presenter and content creator.
The couple went public in January this year, with Siwa saying she was ‘so happy’ and in a ‘very mature relationship’.
‘It’s taught me so much about life. It’s taught me so much about love and respect, and it’s a beautiful thing,’ she told People.
Celebrity Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
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