Acclaimed actor Mickey Rourke has come forward to denounce an online fundraiser set up to help pay off almost $60,000 that he supposedly owes in back rent.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Rourke, 73, said he had not been made aware of the GoFundMe that was set up in his name.
“Something’s come up that … I’m really frustrated, confused and I don’t understand,” he says in the video. “Somebody set up some kind of foundation or fund for me to donate money, like charity. And that’s not me, OK? … If I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no [expletive] charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my ass and pull the trigger.”
“I wouldn’t know what a GoFund foundation is in a million years,” he continued, with his dog Lucky in his lap. “My life is very simple, I don’t go to outside sources like that. It is embarrassing but I’m sure I’ll get over it like anything else.
Rourke also acknowledged his troubled past, saying, “I’ve done a terrible job in managing my career. I wasn’t very diplomatic. I had to go to over 20 years of therapy to get over the damage that was done to me years ago and I worked very hard to work through that and I’m not that person anymore. … I’m not that wild man that I was 20-something years ago.”
Rourke went on to call the GoFundMe “very embarassing” and implored his fans not to give any money to it. “If you gave money get it back,” he said.
“The Wrestler” actor also said he planned to talk to his lawyer, describing it as “humiliating.”
“I don’t need anybody’s money. I wouldn’t do it this way, I got too much pride, man. It ain’t my style,” he said.
The GoFundMe was created by Liya-Joelle Jones, who, according to Deadline, is an assistant to Rourke’s manager, Kimberly Hines.
“My assistant started it to help Mickey as a nice gesture because he was being forced out of his home,” Hines said to Deadline. “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.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rourke received a three-day eviction notice on Dec. 18 and owes about $59,100 in rent for his Los Angeles home.
Rourke acknowledged in the video that he had been in an dispute with the landlords of his rental due to what he described as rats, water damage and other issues.
Hines told Deadline that Rourke has moved into a local hotel for now and that her staff has been trying to salvage and clean his furniture.
The GoFundMe has raised over $100k so far.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.pennlive.com ’
