Mickey Rourke’s $59K Eviction Notice Sparks $100K GoFundMe Amid Cash Crisis

Mickey Rourke’s decision to publicly refuse more than $100,000 raised on his behalf has turned a private housing dispute into a revealing portrait of aging fame, financial instability, and clashing narratives inside his own inner circle.

Eviction Notice and Mounting Debts

On December 18, 2025, Rourke received a three-day eviction notice at his Beverly Grove rental, demanding $59,100 in unpaid rent. The landlord, Eric Goldie, filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking the overdue amount, attorney fees, and termination of the lease. The 1926 Spanish-style bungalow, once occupied by crime novelist Raymond Chandler, had risen in cost from $5,200 to $7,000 a month over the course of Rourke’s tenancy.

The legal dispute crystallized years of mounting financial strain. It also placed a spotlight on the stark gap between the public image of an Oscar-nominated star and the reality of a tenant facing possible removal over unpaid rent. Within weeks, supporters would rally with donations—only to see their help firmly rejected in a video message that surprised even those closest to him.

Conflicting Accounts Over GoFundMe

The fundraising effort began when a GoFundMe page appeared with a goal of $100,000, citing Rourke’s health issues, financial pressures, and a sense of being left behind by the industry. The campaign was launched by Liya-Joelle Jones, identified as assistant to Rourke’s longtime manager, Kimberly Hines, and quickly surpassed its target.

In a five-minute Instagram video posted on January 6, 2026, Rourke forcefully disowned the effort. Speaking directly to the camera, he said he “would never ask strangers or fans or anybody a nickel,” described the online appeal as “humiliating,” and implored contributors to “just get your money back, please.” He insisted he did not need public charity and emphasized his pride and independence.

Hines, however, told The Hollywood Reporter the campaign was “100% legitimate” and said it had been created with Rourke’s authorization. She suggested he had agreed in principle to receiving assistance but had not anticipated how it would unfold publicly. After his video, donations were paused while his team considered what to do next, and Hines said she would return all contributions if he ultimately refused the money. The dispute raised immediate questions about who truly speaks for Rourke and how much control he exerts over major financial decisions.

Living Conditions and Temporary Shelter

While Rourke insisted he still had “a roof over my head” and “food to eat,” Hines offered a far bleaker description of his rental home. She said the property had deteriorated to the point of being “uninhabitable,” alleging a broken refrigerator, lack of water, rotted floors, water damage to furniture, rodent problems, and new owners who raised rent but declined repairs and changed locks. These claims painted a picture of a deteriorating environment at odds with Rourke’s insistence that his basic needs were being met.

After the eviction notice, Rourke moved into a West Hollywood hotel on January 5, 2026, bringing along his three dogs. Rooms at the upscale property start at roughly $550 per night, quickly adding to his financial pressure. Hines said she was advancing money to shift him into an apartment in Koreatown, underscoring the urgency of securing more stable housing even as his public stance rejected outside financial help.

Income Collapse, Career Choices, and Past Disputes

Rourke has linked his current crisis to broader shocks that hit the entertainment industry. He has said that the COVID-19 shutdowns and recent Hollywood strikes “killed” his income, while acknowledging that he has managed his finances “very poorly” over time. At the same time, he maintains that his basic living needs are covered, despite legal filings and statements from his manager suggesting otherwise.

Hines has said Rourke has turned down multiple recent offers of work, with some industry observers suggesting he may be holding out for higher-paying roles. That approach has kept him sidelined at a moment when steady income could help stabilize his situation. The tension between his expectations and the available roles reflects a wider question: how an actor once in demand adapts to changing circumstances.

Court records show this is not his first rental dispute. Between 2016 and 2017, Rourke was involved in an eviction case over a Tribeca loft in New York, where he allegedly stopped paying rent in October 2016. A court later ordered him to pay his landlord $32,511.06 after he failed to appear. The earlier case, combined with the current one in Los Angeles, points to recurring struggles meeting rental obligations over nearly a decade.

The Broader Toll of a Fading Spotlight

Rourke’s financial challenges come after a career that once promised considerable stability. He earned critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for “The Wrestler” in 2008, winning a Golden Globe and reviving a film career that had stalled after a string of earlier missteps. That same year, he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times reflecting on a period when he said he had lost his home, his marriage, his credibility, and his career.

More recently, his professional prospects have been hit by controversy. In 2025, he was removed from the reality series “Celebrity Big Brother UK” after six days over what producers described as “unacceptable language and behavior,” following homophobic comments toward fellow contestant JoJo Siwa. The incident drew criticism and, according to his manager, resulted in nonpayment and humiliation. It also further complicated his standing in an industry increasingly sensitive to conduct and public perception.

The standoff over the GoFundMe campaign has become a focal point for deeper issues: the clash between personal pride and practical need, the strain between an aging star and the people managing his affairs, and the precariousness that can follow when once-lucrative work dries up. As the donations remain frozen and his housing status unsettled, Rourke’s situation highlights how quickly financial security can erode, even for those with celebrated careers. The coming months will determine whether he navigates a path that preserves the dignity he fiercely defends while addressing the urgent realities of rent, debt, and work in a transformed entertainment landscape.