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Mickey Rourke spoke out on his decision to withhold nearly $60,000 in rent for his Los Angeles home, alleging that the home suffered from many issues that were never fixed.
By Sabba Rahbar Mar 11, 2026 11:01 PM | Updated 21 minutes ago
Mickey Rourke Speaks Out on Eviction for Failing to Pay Nearly $60,000 in Rent
Mickey Rourke wants to set the record straight.
The Wrestler actor is speaking out on his decision to withhold nearly $60,000 in rent before he was ordered to vacate his Los Angeles home following a March 9 judgement obtained by E! News, which was entered in favor of his landlord, Eric Goldie.
"The reason I stopped paying rent was because the living conditions in the house had become unacceptable,” he said in a March 11 statement to E! News. “For months there were serious problems that repeatedly went unaddressed despite my efforts to have them fixed.”
The 73-year-old added there were “ongoing rodent issues” that were “never fully resolved” and that he was dealing with frequent issues with the bathroom and plumbing. And while he said he made “repeated requests for repairs,” he alleged the issues were not fixed and “basic maintenance was never properly handled.”
“Withholding rent was not a decision I made lightly,” Rourke added. “I simply could not continue paying for a house that was in such poor condition after so many attempts to have these issues corrected.”
E! News has reached out to the attorney for Rourke’s landlord Goldie for comment but has not heard back.
According to the court document, the judgement was filed by default in favor of Goldie, giving him “possession only” of the Los Angeles property, canceling the rental agreement and forfeiting the lease, although it made no mention of the past-due rent Rourke still owed or his claims about the condition of the home.
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The Oscar nominee had been served with a notice to pay his landlord nearly $59,100 in past-due rent according to a Dec. 29 complaint obtained by People. The filing also alleged that Rourke had failed to comply with the terms of the notice, noting it had been posted on the premises and mailed to him as he was not at home to receive the notice. It also said that Rourke had started renting the home in March 2025, originally paying $5,200 a month before the rent was increased to $7,000.
At the time, Rourke’s landlord was requesting past-due rent and compensation for attorneys fees, per the filing.
Shortly after Rourke was served with the notice, a GoFundMe was set up for him to help him pay the back rent and keep him from having to vacate the property.
Liya-Joelle Jones—whom The Hollywood Reporter called “a friend and member of Rourke’s management team”—was the one who set up the since-deleted fundraiser.
“Mickey is going through a very difficult time right now,” Jones told the outlet in January, “and it’s been incredibly touching to see how many people care about him and want to help.”
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However, Rourke denied having any knowledge of the fundraiser, saying he was “frustrated” and “confused” as he didn’t need others to raise money on his behalf.
“Somebody set up some kind of foundation or fund for me to donate money— like in a charity—and that's not me,” he said in a January Instagram video. “If I needed money, I wouldn't ask for no f--king charity. I'd rather stick a gun up my ass and pull the trigger.”
The Sin City actor admitted that he was embarrassed by the situation, although he would likely “get over it like anything else.” As for his money situation, Rourke shared his finances had been strained for the past few years, but noted he would never ask “strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel.”
“That's not my style,” he continued. “I mean, you ask anybody that knows me—it's humiliating and it's really f--king embarrassing.”
“I don't want anybody's money. I don't want anybody to send me money,” Rourke added. “I want you to get your money back.”
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