Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community which some readers may find distressing.
Jojo Siwa's mother has spoken out in support of her daughter after the Dance Moms star was left in tears by Mickey Rourke's homophobic comments.
Jessalynn Siwa, 50, shared a two-minute clip to social media discussing her thoughts and feelings on Friday (11 April) following the first Celebrity Big Brother eviction.
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Although viewers have been calling for Rourke to be kicked out of the CBB house, it was former Tory MP Michael Fabricant who was given the boot last night.
This came as 'no surprise' to Jessalynn, who admitted she expected Rourke to be saved by the public despite the number of controversies he has stirred up in just a matter of days.
Rourke was branded a 'creep' for leering at host AJ Odudu during his entrance, while he's also made Patsy Palmer cry while harshly criticising her cooking.
He was also reprimanded by Big Brother for his shocking comments towards Jojo about her sexuality, as he stated that he was 'going to vote the lesbian out real quick'.
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The Sin City actor also told the 21-year-old that she 'won’t be gay anymore' if they were in the house longer than four days together.
Rourke then declared that he was going for a 'f*g' in reference to a cigarette, before pointing to Siwa and saying: "I’m not talking to you."
Jojo's horrified partner, Kath Ebbs, said they have been left 'sick to their stomach' by the actor's comments, while branding Rourke a 'bully'.
Now, the Dance Moms star's mother, Jessalynn, has broken her silence on the situation by sharing an emotional Instagram post.
Take a look at this:
The mum said she was 'not surprised that [Rourke] didn't go home', but was 'really sad' to see the circumstances Jojo was dealing with in Celebrity Big Brother.
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"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," Jessalynn said. "Right out of the gate.
"I think she handled it great. Everyone has told me that she handled herself so well, but that doesn't make it okay. Doesn't make it right.
"I am just lucky she can handle herself. I'm just lucky she is okay."
Jessalynn revealed she had been keeping an eye on Jojo via ITV's live feed from inside the house while explaining why her daughter had taken the comments on the chin.
The mum suggested that Jojo has become thick-skinned over the years due to the amount of criticism she receives online on a regular basis.
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"It's kind of become a culture, it's become a game, it's a trend," Jessalynn said. "'Let's not like her, let's like 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' - what's next?
"Why don't you just take her for face value? It's funny, I see a lot of comments that say, 'I like Jojo when she's like this on the show'.
"What do you mean? That's how she always is, you just don't see it. You choose not to. You see what you want to see."
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The post was flooded with messages of support from Jojo's fans, who praised the singer for handling the situation with Rourke 'with dignity and class'.
One commented: "JoJo is so strong and you raised her well. What Mickey did is so not okay.
Another said: "Seeing her cry broke my heart."
A third added: "Mickey Rourke trying hard to be noticed and relevant. Only way he can do that is to behave terribly."
And a fourth wrote: "I love Jojo. This is such bullsh*t, he should be sent home."
Ebbs then reshared the post to their Instagram story while adding some further comments about Jojo's handling of the incident with Rourke.
"This times one thousand," the social media star wrote. "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?"
Topics: Celebrity, Celebrity Big Brother, ITV, TV, Parenting
Olivia Burke