Over 1,000 complaints have been made about Celebrity Big Brother after Mickey Rourke was reprimanded for making “homophobic” remarks to JoJo Siwa.
At the weekend, the Oscar-nominated actor agreed to leave the reality show after “further use of inappropriate language” and “instances of unacceptable behaviour”.
Rourke caused upset in the house from the start and was warned by Big Brother over “unacceptable language and behaviour” towards former Dance Moms star Siwa due to comments he made about her sexuality.
The British media watchdog body, Ofcom, said that the moment, which aired on 9 April, attracted 1,010 complaints related to Rourke’s “language towards JoJo Siwa”.
Siwa was visibly upset by his comments and was comforted by Love Island star Chris Hughes before Rourke was given a “formal warning” in the diaryroom that “further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed”.
There were a further 52 complaints for the episode on 10 April, which were “related to housemates’ behaviour towards Mickey Rourke and his subsequent eviction”.
Rourke’s exit came after he used “sexual language” towards The Only Way Is Essex star Ella Rae Wise, and “language and behaviour” that “was threatening and aggressive” towards Hughes.
The actor’s arrival last week during the live launch episode on 7 April also saw 78 complaints from viewers objecting to his “behaviour” towards co-host AJ Odudu.
Before Rourke entered the Big Brother house, he twirled Odudu around and pushed her body towards him, prompting co-host Will Best to advise him to be “careful”.
The actor, known for the movies Iron Man 2, 9 1/2 Weeks and Sin City, admitted before he left the house that he tried his “hardest to get out of here”, and said he had a “short fuse”.
Rourke apologised for stepping “over the line” and losing his “temper”, and his issues with “self-control”.
“I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt,” he added.
“Maybe some feelings got hurt or maybe others have feelings about others getting upset but, you know, I’m sorry about that.
