Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke, 72, was officially booted from the Big Brother house after an aggressive altercation with Love Island star Chris Hughes, 32. But it wasn’t just that fight that had viewers on edge.
Before the heated moment with Chris, Mickey had already stirred major controversy—first with inappropriate sexual comments to TOWIE’s Ella Rae Wise, 24, and then with openly homophobic remarks aimed at JoJo Siwa, 21.
Oddly enough, the incident with Chris is what finally led to his removal, not the earlier, deeply offensive behavior toward the two women. And that decision didn’t sit well with fans.
Ratings Jump After Mickey Leaves the House
Here’s the surprising part—Monday night’s episode, the first one without Mickey since the series began, drew a peak audience of 1.6 million.
That’s a notable jump compared to Sunday night’s 1.1 million, which actually featured all the chaos of Mickey’s departure.
While the shift could be attributed to Sunday’s later 10pm airing time (instead of the usual 9pm), the fact that more viewers tuned in after Mickey was gone suggests people might have had enough of the drama—or were more comfortable watching without him on screen.
A Shaky Start for the 2025 Series
Celebrity Big Brother 2025 didn’t exactly kick things off with a bang.
The launch episode only reached a peak of 2.1 million viewers, marking the lowest launch numbers in the show’s history.
That’s a sharp drop compared to last year’s comeback season, which pulled in a peak of 3.2 million.
Despite the lukewarm overnight ratings, the show did manage to dominate among the 16-34 age group, outperforming all its rival channels combined.
But Wait—Are Those Numbers the Full Picture?
Viewers were quick to point out online that overnight ratings don’t tell the whole story anymore.
With so many people watching via streaming on ITVX or YouTube—especially the younger crowd who aren’t glued to live TV—it’s likely the actual audience was bigger.
Posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit argued that traditional ratings don’t reflect modern viewing habits.
Many even noted that most people they know watched the show through streaming rather than on a regular television.
Fans Outraged Over Delayed Removal
But the ratings weren’t the only hot topic—social media lit up with outrage over how long it took to remove Mickey Rourke from the house.
While his clash with Chris was the tipping point, viewers were furious that the earlier behavior toward JoJo and Ella didn’t prompt immediate action.
The public felt production should’ve acted much sooner. “So he wasn’t even kicked out for what he said to JoJo?” one Reddit user wrote.
“That’s disgusting.” Others echoed similar sentiments, calling out the double standard in how the show responded once a male housemate was involved.
Big Brother Accused of Sending the Wrong Message
The backlash wasn’t just about Mickey’s behavior—it was also directed at the show’s producers for how they handled it.
Fans felt that by issuing only a warning for the homophobic slurs and crude comments, the show set a dangerous precedent.
“The very first thing he did was sexually harass the host, and he wasn’t even in the house yet!” one fan exclaimed online. “He should’ve been out days ago.”
ITV Keeping Quiet Amid Growing Criticism
Despite the outpouring of criticism, ITV declined to comment on the matter, leaving fans even more frustrated and confused about the network’s decision-making process.
The 2025 Line-Up Still Has Star Power
Even with Mickey gone, the current cast still has plenty of familiar faces to keep things interesting.
The line-up includes Olympic legend Daley Thompson, EastEnders icon Patsy Palmer, pop singer Chesney Hawkes, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, and American superstar JoJo Siwa, among others.
And while the drama has been intense so far, many viewers are hopeful the focus can now shift back to the actual game—without the toxic atmosphere that overshadowed the show’s early days.
Viewers Waiting to See What Happens Next
For now, all eyes are on what Celebrity Big Brother will do moving forward.
Will they address the backlash more openly? Can they win back viewers who were turned off by how things were handled?
One thing’s for sure—the drama isn’t over yet. But with Mickey out of the picture, the house might finally get a chance to hit reset.