Mickey Rourke’s repeated offensive behaviour on Celebrity Big Brother is not the most complained-about TV moment of 2025 so far.
The Hollywood actor, 72, was eventually removed from the ITV show after making homophobic remarks directed at JoJo Siwa, using sexually inappropriate language in a conversation with Ella Rae Wise and for displaying threatening behaviour towards Chris Hughes.
Yet, despite the mass outrage, Celebrity Big Brother is only the second most protested-about TV moment of 2025, with a total of 1,010 complaints.
Here is what you need to know.
What is the most complained-about TV Moment of 2025?
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Amassing 1,347 complaints, the February 12 episode of Love Island: All Stars currently sits at the top spot, according to Ofcom data.
It saw contestant Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, 30, confront her friend-turned-rival Elma Pazar, 32, about feeling a ‘weird grudge’. This then erupted into a blazing row.
Tensions first appeared when Ekin-Su kissed Elma’s partner, Sammy Root, in the heart rate challenge. The argument saw Elma swear at Ekin-Su and her partner Curtis before storming off.
Ofcom said the complaints made about the episode were around ‘alleged bullying behaviour between participants’.
10 most complained about TV moments of 2025
- Love Islands: All Stars – 12 February – 1,347 complaints
- Celebrity Big Brother – 9 April – 1,010 complaints
- Headliners (GB News) – 22 January – 954 complaints
- The Brit Awards 2025 – 1 March – 825 complaints
- Love Islands: All Stars – 11 February – 820 complaints
- Britain’s Got Talent – 22 February – 771 complaints
- Patrick Christys Tonight – 20 February – 372 complaints
- Good Morning Britain – 2 January – 311 complaints
- Headliners (GB News) – 22 January – 273 complaints
- Good Morning Britain – 27 January – 243 complaints
The third most-complained about moment is one from GB News show, Headliners, which received hundreds of complaints after presenter Josh Howie appeared to suggest the LBGTQ+ community included paedophiles.
According to the data compiled by betting firm OLBG for The Sun, Sabrina Carpenter’s risque performance at the Brit Awards was the fourth most complained about TV moment.
The Espresso singer, 25, later addressed the controversy with her trademark humour on Instagram, writing: ‘I now know what watershed is!!!!’
Rounding off the top five is another Love Island: All Stars episode, followed by the first instalment of Britain’s Got Talent and Patrick Christys Tonight.
Good Morning Britain also makes two appearances — in eighth and tenth place — over accusations that Adil Ray ‘fat-shamed’ darts player Luke Littler and Ranvir Singh failing to mention that Jewish people were among the groups killed at concentration camps in the Second World War.
Last year, Ofcom revealed the programmes which had received the most complaints since the watchdog’s inception in 2003.
The top of the list, clocking up 54,595 complaints, was a discussion about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey on Good Morning Britain on March 8, 2021.
During the episode, former GMB host Piers Morgan sparked huge backlash for saying that he ‘didn’t believe’ Meghan suffered from suicidal thoughts. It was found not to have breached Ofcom broadcasting rules.
In second place is a 2007 episode of Celebrity Big Brother that received more than 45,000 complaints for ‘the alleged bullying of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty by fellow contestants Jade Goody, model Danielle Lloyd and singer Jo O’Meara’.
More controversial moments from Celebrity Big Brother
Celebrity Big Brother certainly hasn’t been short on controversial moments since its inception in 2001. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember some of the most controversial exits…
- Mickey Rourke: On just day two of the social experiment, he received a warning for offensive and threatening language before being removed from the house.
- Roxanne Pallett: The former Emmerdale actress ignited widespread anger seven years ago when she accused Corrie’s Ryan Thomas of hurting her with punches to the upper arm.
- Christopher Biggins: In 2016, entertainer Christopher Biggins was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother house after a series of shocking comments about bisexual people.
- Jeremy Jackson: The Baywatch star was kicked out of the house in 2015 after opening glamour model Chloe Goodman’s dressing gown.
Read Metro’s roundup of Celebrity Big Brother’s most controversial exits.
Ofcom stated: ‘Channel Four was found in breach of the Broadcasting Code and was directed to broadcast a summary of Ofcom’s finding on three separate occasions.’
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The ITV reality show also earned third place on the list over ‘an allegation from a housemate, Roxanne Pallett, that fellow housemate Ryan Thomas had deliberately and repeatedly physically assaulted her’.
In fourth place comes a historic moment that happened on Britain’s Got Talent four years ago, when Diversity performed a Black Lives Matter-themed routine on the programme, which sparked 25,000 complaints.
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Completing the top five is ‘Faye’s behaviour towards Teddy’ on Love Island in 2021, which the watchdog determined ‘did not raise issues under our rules’.
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