Mickey Rourke, 72, ‘planning to SUE ITV’ after CBB axe as actor forced to miss out on staggering pay cheque
Mickey Rourke is reported to be mooting a lawsuit against ITV after he was dramatically axed from Celebrity Big Brother.
The 72-year-old Hollywood icon was booted from the show after repeated instances of “inappropriate language and unacceptable behaviour”.
Rourke’s early exit had reportedly meant his whopping £500k fee for appearing on the show will be slashed.
Additionally, the star has been shouldered with a £50k hotel accommodation bill for himself and his team, which he had reportedly initially assumed ITV would cover.
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However, ITV informed him that they could only stretch to hotel rooms, charging up to around £230 per night.
The 72-year-old had reportedly already booked a posh hotel in London, leaving him to make up the difference. Rourke’s representative Kimberly Hines has now said his team is “weighing a lawsuit against ITV,” per The Sun.
They believe the movie icon was “deliberately removed just one day before he would become contractually eligible to receive a lot more money.”
Rourke was therefore “unjustly” denied his fee after being “sent to the airport with barely a ride”.
Hines also suggested that ITV was fully aware of the actor’s mercurial personality when they approached him for Big Brother.
GB News has approached Rourke’s representatives for comment.
Earlier, an insider told The Sun: “Mickey won’t be receiving all his money from ITV. If a celebrity gets removed from the house, they don’t get the full fee. It’s as simple as that and they will be discussing that with him.”
“Mickey was ready to leave the house and it ended up feeling like a mutual decision between him and ITV in the end. It was getting too much,” they added.
Hours before his exit, sources said production staff were “at their wits’ end with his antics”.
A spokesperson for Celebrity Big Brother said: “Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour.”
Rourke’s behaviour first made headlines after he made several homophobic remarks toward 21-year-old US singer JoJo Siwa.
The actor told her she “wouldn’t be gay anymore” if he stayed in the house for longer than four day and declared his intention to “vote out the lesbian”.
He was given an official warning after his comments to Siwa and later apologised to her. The final straw was Rourke’s “threatening and aggressive” behaviour toward Love Island star Chris Hughes, squaring up to him during a pirate-themed task.
Rourke’s controversial behaviour extended beyond his interactions with Siwa and Hughes. He made EastEnders star Patsy Palmer cry after repeated jibes about her cooking.
He also came under fire for comments made about Donna Preston’s weight.
Within minutes of his arrival on the show, viewers noted “creepy” behaviour as he made host AJ Odudu “uncomfortable” by staring at her body.
The presenter had to tell him to “stop looking at me” as she and co-host Will Best guided him away.