On New Year’s Day 2026, a figure once synonymous with Hollywood’s golden era was seen shuffling to his Los Angeles doorstep, collecting fast food and groceries in a scene that left fans and neighbors stunned. Mickey Rourke, the brooding star of 9½ Weeks and The Wrestler, looked almost unrecognizable—frail, balding, and dressed in a striped sweater and leggings, a far cry from the hunky image he once cultivated. But the rare sighting was more than just a glimpse into the actor’s private world; it came amid a storm of personal and financial turmoil that has left Rourke, now 73, facing imminent eviction from his Beverly Grove home.
According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets including The Daily Mail and OK!, Rourke is alleged to have racked up nearly $60,000 in unpaid rent on the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath Spanish bungalow he began leasing in March 2025. Initially, the monthly rent was set at $5,200, but records show it was bumped up to $7,000 starting in his second month of occupancy. The property itself carries a storied past—built in 1926, it was once inhabited by famed crime novelist Raymond Chandler in the 1940s, and sits just south of West Hollywood, mere blocks from the bustling Grove shopping center.
The eviction process accelerated in mid-December 2025, when Rourke was served with a three-day notice to pay his overdue rent or vacate the premises. The notice, dated December 18, was left at his home after process servers found no one present. The legal complaint, filed by landlord Eric T. Goldie, not only seeks the $59,100 in back rent but also requests attorney fees and termination of the lease—meaning Rourke could lose his home even if he manages to pay the outstanding balance. As The Post reported, the notice was both posted at the property and mailed to ensure delivery, as “no person of suitable age or discretion” could be found at the time.
Rourke’s public appearance on January 1, 2026, was as somber as the circumstances surrounding it. Photos snapped by paparazzi and circulated by outlets such as Page Six and The Daily Mail show the actor with a gaunt face, significant hair loss since his last public sighting in August, and a demeanor that suggested the weight of his ongoing troubles. He was seen picking up Taco Bell delivery and two paper bags of groceries from Pavilions, barefoot and noticeably frail.
The eviction lawsuit is just the latest in a string of setbacks for the actor, whose career has been marked by both meteoric highs and devastating lows. Rourke burst onto the scene in the 1980s with a string of acclaimed performances in films like Diner, Rumble Fish, and Angel Heart, quickly earning a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most magnetic leading men. But by the early 1990s, plagued by a series of underperforming films and a reputation for being difficult to work with, Rourke famously walked away from acting to pursue a professional boxing career—a decision that would have lasting consequences.
"I went back because of shame," Rourke reflected in a 2009 interview with The Daily Mail, describing how he returned to the ring at age 39, eventually fighting eight professional bouts. The brutal nature of the sport left him with a litany of serious injuries, including a broken nose that required five operations, a smashed cheekbone, and cartilage grafts from his ear. "Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing, but I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together," he admitted, addressing years of speculation about his ever-changing appearance. Rourke later acknowledged that botched reconstructive surgeries, intended to repair boxing injuries, significantly altered his looks and derailed his career as a romantic lead.
After years in the wilderness, Rourke staged a remarkable comeback with his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler (2008), earning a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and his first—and only—Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The film’s success briefly revived his Hollywood fortunes, leading to roles in Sin City and Iron Man 2, but the momentum soon faded. Most of his subsequent projects were low-budget films that failed to attract much attention.
Rourke’s personal life has been no less tumultuous. In April 2025, he was removed from the UK edition of Celebrity Big Brother after just six days due to what the show described as “unacceptable language and behavior” directed at fellow housemate JoJo Siwa. During his brief stint, Rourke made homophobic remarks, telling Siwa, "I would vote the lesbian out real quick," and using British slang for a cigarette in a way that was widely interpreted as a slur. He later apologized to Siwa, saying, "I want to apologize. 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." Despite Siwa’s acceptance of the apology, Rourke admitted in his final confessional, "I stepped over the line. I take responsibility for doing the wrong thing. I lost my temper, and I’ve been trying to work on it my whole life."
Rourke’s relationships have also been fraught with controversy. His first wife, Debra Feuer, once claimed his insecurities drove him to seek out repeated cosmetic procedures, a pattern she said worsened after he met his second wife, Carré Otis. Rourke was arrested in 1994 after an alleged domestic violence incident involving Otis, though the case was later dropped. He has also faced criticism for his outspoken support of controversial causes and for his role as an IRA bomber in the 1987 film A Prayer for the Dying.
In recent years, Rourke has spoken candidly about some of the choices he regrets, including using steroids and eating enormous meals to bulk up for his role in The Wrestler. "I honestly regret putting on 70 pounds to look the part," he wrote on Instagram. "It was not a great well thought out plan, I of course used steroids and ate enormous amounts of food 6 times a day. Was very stupid on my part."
As Rourke faces the possibility of eviction from a home steeped in Hollywood history, the once-celebrated actor’s struggles serve as a stark reminder of the fleeting nature of fame and the personal battles that can lie beneath a public persona. For now, the future remains uncertain for the man who once commanded the silver screen—and whose rare, somber appearance on New Year’s Day has left many wondering what comes next.
