US actor Mickey Rourke declines $128,000 in donations after his eviction
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Mickey Rourke said it was “humiliating” and “embarrassing” that the status of his finances and living arrangements had become internet fodder.
PHOTO: NINA WESTERVELT/NYTIMES
Derrick Bryson Taylor
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LOS ANGELES – American actor Mickey Rourke turned down more than US$100,000 (S$128,000) in donations raised online after he was evicted from his home in Los Angeles for owing nearly US$60,000 in overdue rent.
He said in a video posted to his Instagram account on Jan 5 that it was “humiliating” and “embarrassing” that the status of his finances and living arrangements had become internet fodder.
“I would never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel,” the 73-year-old said.
Mr Eric Goldie, the owner of the house in which Rourke was living, filed a complaint against the actor in late December 2025 in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, asserting that Rourke owed US$59,100 in overdue rent.
Court documents showed that Rourke had been given three days to pay the balance or move out, and that the monthly rent on the three-bedroom home in the Beverly Grove neighbourhood of Los Angeles, had been raised from US$5,200 to US$7,000.
A representative for Mr Goldie did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jan 6.
Rourke, who is known for a string of movies in the 1980s, including Diner (1982), The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984) and 9½ Weeks (1986), has had a notoriously rocky career.
He has struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, but was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Wrestler (2008). He was cast in British reality show Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2025, but left it early after having used offensive language.
His manager, Ms Kimberly Hines, said in an interview on Jan 6 that the actor had been living in the Beverly Grove house for nearly a decade and that the new owner had purchased the property in 2024.
She said Rourke had been paying the rent until about six months ago, “when the conditions became really unbearable”.
Rourke said in his social media video that mice and rats had been in the house and “the floor is rotten, one bathtub there’s no water, in two different sinks there was no water”.
Ms Hines said the owner had declined her offer to pay two months’ rent to buy Rourke time.
She said that Rourke contacted her on Jan 3 asking for assistance. The next day, her office set up a GoFundMe page, which has since raised more than US$100,000.
“He knew we were seeking help for him, but I don’t think he understood that it would become such a huge situation,” she said, adding that her office had created the page “in the spirit of helping Mickey in a very desperate situation”.
She confirmed that he had declined the money raised on GoFundMe. Donations on the page have been paused.
According to her, Rourke moved into a hotel in West Hollywood on Jan 4. She added that he would move into an apartment in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighbourhood within the next couple of days.
A court hearing is scheduled for April.
“I admire Mickey because he really is a man of principle, and he doesn’t take help or charity or assistance from anyone,” Ms Hines said. “But at the same time, I feel like people love him and he’s in a moment of need.” NYTIMES
