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Viewers of Celebrity Big Brother have slammed the show for how they have handled Mickey Rourke's homophobic comments to JoJo Siwa.
The former Dance Moms star was on the receiving end of vile behaviour from Mickey, and now fans and JoJo's partner are seething at the response from show bosses.
Mickey was also inappropriate towards host AJ Odudu before he even entered the house, but it was after he started grilling 21-year-old JoJo about her sexuality that the outrage began.
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Mickey, 72, asked JoJo if she liked 'boys or girls', to which JoJo replied she is gay and has a partner who is non-binary.
The actor grossly replied saying if she spent long enough in the house with him, she wouldn't be gay any longer.
JoJo tried to shut his comments down, retorting: "I can guarantee I will still be gay and I will still be in a very happy relationship," at which point Mickey went one step further and threatened to 'tie you up' to change her ways.
He was then heard telling former Love Island star Chris Hughes that he was 'going to vote the lesbian out real quick'.
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Rourke then said he was going for a 'f*g', pointing to JoJo and saying 'I’m not talking to you'.
Mickey was given an official warning from Big Brother where he was warned about 'unacceptable language and behaviour' in the house, and he later apologised to JoJo, but furious fans are saying not enough has been done.
"I apologise. I don’t have dishonourable intentions - I’m just talking smack, you know," he insisted. "I wasn’t taking it all so serious. I didn’t mean in it any bad intentions and if I did, sorry."
He added: "I want to apologise. I've got a habit of having a short fuse. And I don't mean nothing by it. I do mean it [sorry]. If I didn't, I wouldn't say it to you."
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Fans have been sharing their anger on social media, saying Big Brother should have done more.
"Why is he only getting a warning for a rape threat? that’s something that should be taken seriously. he needs to be removed from the show and they need to have jojo see a therapist to make sure she’s okay", wrote one concerned fan.
"Exactly how would she no longer be a lesbian? Because that’s not something to be taken lightly," raged another.
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"Listen I am not the biggest JoJo fan but the absolute terror I felt when he said 'you wont be gay if i survive elimination'….like sir….what does that mean," slammed another.
Others were calling for him to instantly be removed from the house: "That should be grounds for disqualification omfg i hope sister JoJo is okay."
Another added: "They need to remove him from the show that’s highly inappropriate!"
"Wait, he threatened her and he’s being allowed to stay? Cancel the show", demanded another, while one viewer asked: "Why wasn't he removed immediately?"
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"Why is he only getting a warning??? He needs to be disqualified and removed ASAP," added one fan, as this viewer agreed: "He needs to be removed ASAP for Jojo's safety. This is despicable."
Others were asking if JoJo would be receiving support following his behaviour.
JoJo's partner, Kath Ebbs, also slammed Mickey for his comments and for Chris Hughes being the only person to defend JoJo.
Kath shared a story about the incident, and wrote: "Also the fact that only ONE person pulled him up on it is very telling of where we are at.
“Men don’t bother wearing your ribbons on International Women's Day if you’re not going to actually start doing something to end men’s violence against women.
“It doesn’t just start when a woman or queer person is physically assaulted. The ladder to that is comments like this.”
Kath didn't accept his apology either, adding: "He later apologised to her and said that he has a short fuse. That wasn’t a short fuse. you got called out, and you're worried that people are going to think you are homophobic, which you are. But that honestly was the least of the problems on that ladder of behaviour. You don’t have a short fuse, you need to pull your head in and read a book and take a shower while you're at it."
A Big Brother spokesperson said: "All Housemates receive Respect and Inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother Senior team to prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectation for appropriate behaviour and language. Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with appropriately and timely.”
