We’re only a few episodes into Celebrity Big Brother series 25, and the drama has already hit boiling point — courtesy of Hollywood wild card Mickey Rourke. The actor, known for 9 ½ Weeks, Barfly, and The Wrestler, joined the show as one of its headline stars, but it seems he couldn’t even make it through the front door without raising eyebrows.
When Mickey made his grand entrance, hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best were there to greet him — but what unfolded was less red carpet glam and more awkward TV gold. While Will got a straightforward handshake, Mickey opted to twirl AJ, pull her close, and gave her that once-over that had everyone watching through their fingers. Will tried to keep things light with a quick, ‘Careful Mickey!’ while AJ quipped, ‘You’re very flirtatious!’ — but the situation only got more uncomfortable.
As AJ tried to keep the show on track, Mickey continued to eye her up and down, prompting her to joke, ‘Stop looking at me!’ Even as the hosts tried to nudge him into the house, Mickey dug in his heels and declared, ‘I want to stay with you.’
Well, now AJ has finally addressed the moment — and in classic AJ style, she did it with grace and sass. On Late & Live, the CBB aftershow, guest Alan Carr kicked things off by saying, ‘Can we talk about Mickey Rourke looking at you? Wow, his eyes. Find someone who looks at you the way Mickey looks at you. His tongue was hanging out.’
AJ didn’t miss a beat, replying, ‘It literally was. I was like, “You can’t afford these feathers, Mickey, no!”’
Naturally, social media exploded. One viewer on X (formerly Twitter) said, ‘I’m putting money on Mickey Rourke being kicked out in the next few days. How he treated AJ was totally unacceptable.’ Another added, ‘Every woman cringed at Mickey Rourke ogling AJ like that. Vile.’
A third summed it up with a throwback gif of Kim Woodburn shouting ‘Dirty! Filth!’ alongside, ‘Jokes aside. Mickey made AJ visibly uncomfortable and it was unpleasant to watch. I hope she’s okay.’
While it remains to be seen how long Mickey will last in the house, one thing’s for sure — Celebrity Big Brother isn’t playing around this season. And AJ? She’s handling it like a total pro.