Mickey Rouke’s ‘not creepy, not pervy & not trying to offend gay people – he’s just a different generation’ insists pal
MICKEY Rourke isn't a “creepy old perv”, he's just from a different generation, one of his best friends has told The Sun.
It comes after the movie star, 72, used homophobic language to popstar JoJo Siwa, whose girlfriend has branded the Hollywood hellraiser "dangerous" and "disturbing".
Kimberly Hines, who has been his pal for years, told The Sun: “Mickey was a star from the 80s and 90s, and it's now 2025 and there’s a politically correct vocabulary and a way people need to be.
“He, she, they. But Mickey just doesn't know that new vocabulary. He's old school. He’s 72. He's not doing it to offend.
“He's not creepy. He's not pervy. He's not trying to offend gay people, lesbian people.
“For him, he doesn't realize that now every word you say can and will be used against you. And that's just the way this world works now.”
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Mickey was given a formal warning by ITV for his derogatory comment to JoJo, who is gay, and he also upset comedian Donna Preston with a comment about her weight.
But Kimberly reckons the drama is just what the reality show needs - and JoJo wants.
She added: “I think JoJo is overreacting, and it's obviously exactly what Big Brother were hoping for, right?
They knew by bringing bad boy Mickey Rourke into the house, they knew that there would definitely be some drama, and that's exactly what they got last night, they're getting the reaction and the publicity that I think the show was hoping for.”
Mickey will face eviction in tomorrow night’s public vote, with further housemates up for the chop to be revealed in tonight’s episode.
Kimberly, a mum-of-four, added: “I’d say try to see the soft, beautiful side of Mickey.
“I have a lot of people who are texting me and calling me and say, ‘we love Mickey and they're making him look like he's this creepy, old, mean man’. But he's not.”
"Love him or hate him, Mickey Rourke is — and will always be — a cinematic icon.
"He stands as one of the last living legends in film, and his body of work will be remembered for generations.
"It's important to honour the lasting impact he’s made on cinema, rather than judge him solely for his human flaws. After all, we’re all imperfect, and we all make mistakes."
Yesterday, JoJo’s girlfriend Kath Ebbs branded Mickey’s comments “beyond disgusting” and wrote online: “That is dangerous language. I would not want to be alone in a room together.”
