Mickey Rourke Rejects Fundraiser To Stave Off Eviction, Slams 'Scumbag' Landlord

Actor Mickey Rourke has slammed a GoFundMe set up to help him avoid eviction due to unpaid rent, saying he is not the kind of person to accept charity and doesn't know who set up the fundraiser, which his own manager has taken credit for.

"If I needed money, I wouldn't ask for no f—ing charity," he said in an Instagram video posted Monday, adding he'd rather die than ask for charity.

Rourke received a three-day notice to pay rent or vacate his Los Angeles home on Dec. 18. At that time, he owed $59,100. By the end of the month, he failed to comply with the notice, prompting his landlord to file to evict him, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A GoFundMe for Rourke launched two days ago; since then it has surpassed its $100,000 goal. The fundraiser was created with Rourke's "full permission" to help prevent eviction, according to the page.

But Rourke said he wasn't sure who created it — and he said he would "talk to my lawyer" to "get to the bottom of this."

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“So whoever did this, I don’t know if they did it, why they did it. I don’t understand it. I wouldn’t know what a 'go fund' foundation is in a million years … my life is very simple. I don’t go to outside sources like that. And, yeah, it is embarrassing, but, you know, I’m sure I’ll get over it like anything else, everything else,” he said.

Kimberly Hines, Rourke's manager, told Deadline that her team set up the GoFundMe.

“My assistant started it to help Mickey as a nice gesture because he was being forced out of his home,” she said. “It was not done with any mal intent. The money has not gone anywhere. If Mickey decides he does not want it, the money will be returned to his fans."

The fundraiser's page recounts Rourke's career transition from acting to boxing and describes his mental health and financial struggles.

"Boxing — real and punishing — left lasting physical and emotional scars, and the industry that once celebrated him moved on quickly," the page said. "What followed were years of struggle not defined by spectacle, but by survival: health challenges, financial strain and the quiet toll of being left behind."

Rourke said in his Instagram video that he's "done a really terrible job in managing my career." He said he's had to borrow money from a friend during the entertainment industry downturns amid the pandemic and writers strike.

The actor said he lived without issue in his rented home for around five years until "two scumbags from New York bought the house and wouldn't fix anything."

Rourke said he dealt with mice, rats, rotten floors and multiple plumbing issues.

His manager told Deadline that there was so much mold and water damage that much of Rourke's furniture cannot be moved out. He's now living at a hotel; the bill is being footed by his management team and a producer who once worked with Rourke.

City News Service contributed to this report.