Mickey Rourke made it clear that he doesn’t want charity, saying that the GoFundMe set up in his name is “humiliating” and “embarrassing.”
The Oscar-nominated actor for 2008’s The Wrestler is currently under threat of eviction from his Spanish bungalow in Los Angeles. Rourke, 73, allegedly owed thousands of dollars in back rent to his landlord, Eric Goldie. On Monday, a GoFundMe titled “Help Mickey Rourke Stay in His Home” was launched in the star’s name. While reports suggested he greenlit the fundraiser himself, Rourke denied this.
In a five-minute-long Instagram video posted on Jan. 6, Rourke denied any involvement in or knowledge of the fundraiser being set up. He emphasized that he doesn’t want or need charity.
“I’m really frustrated, confused, and I don’t understand,” he said at the beginning of the impassioned rant. “Somebody set up some kind of foundation or fund for me, to donate money, like charity. And that’s not me, OK? If I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no f---ing charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my a-- and pull the trigger.”
He continued to say, “This thing is very embarrassing,” and told fans not to give any money to the page. “Don’t give any money, and if you gave money, get it back. It’s really humiliating.”
“I would never ask strangers or fans for a nickel,” he said. “It’s really f---ing embarrassing,” he added, once again saying that he would never take charity.
Rourke did not name the person who started the fundraiser in his post, but said, “Whoever did this… I don’t know why they did it. I wouldn’t know what a GoFund foundation is in a million years.”
The page in question was created by his manager Kimberly Hine’s assistant, Liya-Joelle Jones. At the time of writing, $102,225 has been raised for The Wrestler actor, with dozens of messages from fans.
“Today, Mickey is facing a very real and urgent situation: the threat of eviction from his home,” reads the page description. “This fundraiser is being created with Mickey’s full permission to help cover immediate housing-related expenses and prevent that from happening.”
Rourke’s manager, Hines, gave a startlingly frank interview to The Hollywood Reporter, insisting that the movie star was alerted about the fundraiser being set up.
“I don’t think he understood, and now [the fundraiser has] taken on this media frenzy, and he flipped out,” she said. Hines added, however, that the “frenzy” of the last few days has led to the troubled actor getting four movie offers, “which is great because nobody’s been calling him for a long time,” she said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Rourke’s representatives for comment.
Hines told the publication that the fundraiser was set up in support of the actor, but if he doesn’t want the funds, “the money will be returned.” She said that Rourke does not have a bank account, but that her team is “doing everything [they] can to get it to him.”
Hines further explained that Rourke had to be moved to a hotel in West Hollywood as he awaits the decision on his pending eviction. The rooms in this hotel allegedly cost at least $550 a night, according to Page Six. Hines alleged that she financed the movers, the hotel, and other logistics. She also stated that Rourke has already racked up “incidentals” at his hotel, totaling $400.
“It’s putting me in a very bad position where now I’m financing his move and the hotel and the movers and his storage. Mickey was cool with getting help the other day. And now Mickey’s like, ‘I’m not taking charity,’” she said.
Hines went on to say that Rourke’s home, where he has lived for over 10 years, is currently “uninhabitable,” with black mold, no running water, and furniture that was found “completely destroyed.” She also explained that the actor has “never” managed his money well, but has been “very generous with people” and “friends.”
“He’s been very generous with people, and he just didn’t manage his money well. And he hasn’t really made that much money in the last couple of years, because he just doesn’t want to compromise,” she said.
Ultimately, Rourke’s manager emphasized that the fundraiser was set up “with a good intention, with a good heart.”
“A GoFund is set up for him, and now he’s rejecting it? ‘OK, Mick, no problem,’” she said. “But nobody here has done anything wrong.”
Rourke is no stranger to controversy. In April 2025, the Golden Globe-winning actor was asked to leave the Celebrity Big Brother UK house after a homophobic outburst directed at JoJo Siwa. Days later, he was accused of “gross behavior” by Girl co-star Bella Thorne.
In his social media post, Rourke told fans, “I’m not the wild man I was 20 years ago.” He added, “I’ve done a very terrible job at managing my career,” saying it’s taken decades of therapy to work through what he has experienced in his professional and personal life.
“I worked very hard to work through that. I’m not that person anymore,” he said. “But,” he added, “You pay the price for your past.”
