The GoFundMe saga surrounding Mickey Rourke takes yet another twist, as the actor himself vehemently disavows any association with the charity drive meant to save him from eviction. In what is shaping up to be a he-said-she-said debacle, Rourke took to Instagram to express his disdain for the fundraising campaign launched in his name. Despite the fundraiser surpassing its $100,000 goal, Rourke stated, "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," as reported by KTLA.
Wading into the confusion of motives and permission, his manager's assistant, Liya-Joelle Jones, claimed that the page was indeed created with Rourke’s "full permission". According to The Guardian, Kimberly Hines, Rourke's manager, implied that her team initiated the GoFundMe after Rourke was served an eviction notice. Rourke contradicted this narrative, insinuating in his video that the fundraiser may be the handiwork of two unidentified "scumbags from New York."
It's reported by NBC Los Angeles that Rourke is currently embroiled in a legal battle with his landlord over a hefty $60,000 in back rent, leading to an eviction notice in December. The GoFundMe was described as a lifeline for the actor, intended to cover "immediate housing-related expenses and prevent that from happening." Nevertheless, with the storyline taking on a twist seemingly more complicated than his film plots, Rourke insists he was blindsided by the GoFundMe page. He stressed to his followers the importance of reclaiming their donations, stating, "Everything’s okay. Just get your money back, please."
Amidst Rourke's career ups and downs, which saw him garnering accolades such as a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for "The Wrestler", his current strife stands in stark contrast to his Hollywood comeback. However, standing against the tide of goodwill from fans, Rourke makes it clear that pride and self-reliance remain at the forefront of his values. He told The Guardian, "I don’t need anybody’s money, and I wouldn’t do it this way. I got too much pride, man. It just ain’t my style."
