Oscar Nominee Says He Wants to Return $90K Donated to Him in ‘Embarrassing’ Fundraiser
Fans donated in support of the actor, who now claims he wants to give the money back.
Gus Ruelas/Reuters
Mickey Rourke is distancing himself from the fundraiser set up in his name, calling the GoFundMe is a “scam.”
Rourke, who was Oscar-nominated for 2008’s The Wrestler, posted about his fundraiser on Instagram, in a lengthy all-caps rant littered with typos. The star said that there is $90,000 left to return to fans of the $100,000 raised to support him. He called the page “a cruel embarrassment.”
“MY ATTOURNEY IS DOING EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO MAKE SURE ANYONE WHO GAVE THERE ” HARD EARNED MONEY$$$ IS QUICKLY RETURNED. TRUTHFULLY THERE IS STILL OVER 90 THOUSAND DOLLARS THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE REFUNDED TO CONCERNED PARTYS THAT SENT THERE MONEY," he wrote in his impassioned post.
Rourke, 73, has been facing eviction from his bungalow in Los Angeles. Rourke’s landlord sent the actor a notice on Dec. 18, outlining the $59,100 he owed in back rent. The GoFundMe titled “Help Mickey Rourke Stay in His Home” garnered overnight traction. It was reportedly set up by his manager Kimberly Hine’s assistant, Liya-Joelle Jones.
“Today, Mickey is facing a very real and urgent situation: the threat of eviction from his home,” explained the page. “This fundraiser is being created with Mickey’s full permission to help cover immediate housing-related expenses and prevent that from happening.”
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His manager explained to The Hollywood Reporter that Rourke didn’t understand the fundraiser, although he agreed to it, and “flipped out” once he realized what was going on.
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“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.

Mickey Rourke has said he needs to return money to fans.
Instagram/Mickey Rourke.
“A GoFund is set up for him, and now he’s rejecting it? ‘OK, Mick, no problem,’” she continued. “But nobody here has done anything wrong.”
Rourke appears to be sticking to this narrative, writing on social media, “PLEASE PEOPLE GET YER MONEY THE PERSON WHO PULLED THIS CRAP SHOULDNT GET ONE FUCEN DOLLAR.”
In a separate angry rant on Instagram, Rourke wrote, “There will b severe repercussions to individual who did this very bad thing to me and anyone who knows me knows payback k will be goddamm severe!!!!!!”
He then urged fans to provide funds to his friend, actor Eric Dane, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in April 2025.
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