Jessalyn Siwa has responded to the controversy surrounding her daughter, JoJo Siwa, after actor Mickey Rourke used a homophobic slur during a recent episode of Celebrity Big Brother UK.
In a video shared to Instagram on Friday, April 11, Jessalyn expressed both disappointment and concern.
According to US Weekly, she said, “I wasn’t surprised he wasn’t sent home. I’m really sad I sent my kid to a foreign country to do a TV show and she got treated like that right away.”
Moreover, the incident occurred early in the season when Rourke, 72, told JoJo, 21, that she “won’t be gay anymore” if she stayed more than four days in the Big Brother house.
JoJo responded confidently, saying, “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay — and in a very happy relationship.”
As per the publication, Rourke later used a homophobic slur while speaking to another housemate, Chris Hughes.
Though he denied directing the slur at JoJo, his representative defended him, calling Rourke “authentically himself.”
Additionally, Jessalyn praised JoJo’s grace under pressure as she said, “She handled it great,” she said. “I’m just lucky she’s OK.”
Meanwhile, JoJo’s partner, Kath Ebbs, who identifies as nonbinary, also weighed in on Instagram, saying, “We all witnessed misogyny play out on national TV these last two days. The support for her has been swift, which it should be.”
