Celebrity Big Brother scolds Mickey Rourke for homophobia against JoJo Siwa
Blockbuster actor Mickey Rourke was scolded in Celebrity Big Brother for his inappropriate comments against housemate JoJo Siwa. The actress was on the receiving end of Rourke’s offhand homophobic remarks.
“So, do you like girls [or] boys?” Rourke was chatting up Siwa as they were headed to the smoking area of the house. Siwa responded that she likes girls and that she currently has a non-binary partner. Rourke told other contestants, along with Siwa, that he was trying to stay in the house for more than four days. “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore,” said Rourke from across the room.
“I can guarantee that I will still be gay and still be in a happy relationship,” Siwa said. She seemingly attempted to ride along with the joke. Rourke said he’d “tie” Siwa up. Another contestant was heard swearing in the background upon Rourke’s comment.
Much later, Rourke ramped up his comments and joked that he would “vote the lesbian out,” pointing towards JoJo Siwa’s direction.”That’s homophobic if that was your reasoning,” Siwa said from a distance. Mickey Rourke also used a slur when referencing Siwa and laughed to himself. Actor Chris Hughes, who was beside Rourke, defended Siwa. “You can’t say that, Mickey,” Hughes warned Rourke. “I know you,” the younger actor added, making it clear to Rourke that he was making a double entendre about cigarettes.
Soon after, Rourke was called into the diary room by Big Brother. “Mickey, Big Brother thinks your language was offensive and unacceptable. As a result, Big Brother is giving you a formal warning.”
JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes form an unlikely friendship
Rourke eventually left the smoking area to find a cigarette. Hughes approached Siwa after the encounter. She found it unbelievable that Rourke made such remarks. While Hughes understood that it was old-fashioned, he said that the comments were not right. “You can’t justify it because it’s not right… That’s not a thing anymore,” said Hughes.
Despite the rocky experience, Siwa was grateful to Hughes for defending her even if they didn’t know each other for long. “To be honest, we’d known each other less than 24 hours. You had no reason to have my back,” Siwa told Hughes. But for Hughes, it was just “between right and wrong.” Siwa, who was holding back her tears, briefly cried in Hughes’s arms. Hughes was largely praised for his defense of Siwa online. It’s no surprise that he did earn applause for his actions, given that he advocated for a vulnerable cast member while politely correcting Rourke.
Thankfully, Rourke approached Siwa for an apology after being reprimanded for his actions. “I want to apologize. I’ve got a habit of having a short fuse, and I don’t mean nothing by it.” While his language was definitely inappropriate, he at least didn’t make any further excuse for his behavior. Others would be too flustered to own up to the mistake and force the victim to just laugh along. Hopefully, Rourke doesn’t make the same mistake twice in the coming episodes of the show.
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