It’s been a dramatic few days in the Celebrity Big Brother house as tension among the housemates has reached a boiling point, and now JoJo Siwa’s mother, Jessalynn Siwa, is speaking out after Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke narrowly escaped eviction on Friday.
It comes after Angel Heart star, 72, found himself at the centre of a heated controversy during a recent episode. JoJo, 21, a well-known influencer who identifies as a lesbian, was on the receiving end of homophobic remarks as the actor made a series of comments about her sexuality. The incident led to CBB bosses issuing Rourke a formal warning, calling his language “offensive and unacceptable.”
Despite the backlash, Rourke survived the first eviction vote, and Jessalynn couldn’t hide her fury. In an emotional Instagram video, she expressed her disappointment: “I’m not surprised, honestly. I’m not surprised that he didn’t go home. I knew he wouldn’t.”
Sharing her frustration at the situation, she added: “I’m really sad, though, that I sent my kid to a foreign country to do a TV show and she got treated like that—right away. Right out of the gate,” Jessalynn continued, “I think she handled it great. I think everyone has told me that she handled herself so well but that doesn’t make it okay. Doesn’t make it right.”
While revealing pride in how JoJo handled the situation, Jessalynn said, “I am just lucky she can handle herself. I’m just lucky she is okay. I watch her on the live feed and in the rest of the scenes from the show and I think she looks great.”
But it wasn’t just Rourke’s actions that were on her mind. Jessalynn took aim at the broader culture of negativity that has been directed at her daughter. “I mean come on. It’s kind of become a culture. It’s become a game. It’s a trend: ‘Let’s not like her. Let’s hate her. Let’s make fun of her. Let’s tell her she’s a bad dancer. Tell her she can’t sing. Tell her you’ll make her not a lesbian’,” she added.
Meanwhile JoJo’s partner, Kath Ebbs, also voiced her support, sharing Jessalynn’s post and adding her own thoughts, saying: “This times one thousand. Jo is one of the kindest most generous people I have ever come to know, let alone had the privilege to call my partner.
“We all witnessed misogyny play out on national television these last two days and the support for her has been swift, which it should be, BUT that same level of misogyny is levelled at her daily by I’m sure a lot of folks who are currently backing her. So I ask you, why did it take this level of attack to see her as human?,” she concluded her speech.
The controversy began when Mickey asked the influencer – who identifies as a lesbian – about her sexuality. He asked JoJo: “Do you like girls or boys?” To which she replied: “Girls. My partner is non-binary.”
The actor then made a follow-up comment. “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore,” he said, prompting JoJo to firmly reply, “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship” he said.
Mickey’s remarks didn’t end there. He later claimed, “I’m going to vote the lesbian out real quick,” as he sparked outrage from fans and fellow housemates.
The CBB producers took immediate action, issuing a warning to Mickey for his language. In the aftermath, the Wrestlers star issued a public apology: “I apologise. I don’t have dishonourable intentions – I’m just talking smack, you know. I wasn’t taking it all so serious. I didn’t mean it in any bad intentions and if I did, sorry.”
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