Mel Gibson has come under fire for mocking a deaf American Sign Language interpreter.
The 70-year-old actor subsequently sparked outrage a video had him making exaggerated hand gestures at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto on Saturday.
In the clip, which was posted online, Gibson walks onto the stage after being introduced by moderator Liam Crowley.
But as the Braveheart star emerges in front of a packed audience, you can see him making the gestures behind a woman on stage doing sign language.
One social media user, who shared the video on X, wrote: ‘It’s always disappointing to see my language mocked. We are working hard to have our language recognized and taken seriously.’
Gibson apologized in a statement shared with the Daily Mail on Monday, saying: ‘Sometimes when you’re thrust into the spotlight on stage your thoughts are all over the place, and sometimes spontaneous thoughtless idiocy is on display – there was no malice involved, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.’
Mel Gibson came under fire for mocking a deaf American Sign Language interpreter at Fan Expo Canada on Saturday
The Braveheart star, 70, makes the exaggerated gesture as he walks onto the stage
Social media users criticized Gibson after the Toronto performance, which was captured on video
Gibson recently wrapped production on his sequel to The Passion of the Christ, The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One.
The Lionsgate film is scheduled for a May 2027 release, with a sequel expected in 2028.
Social media users noted how Gibson’s actions contrasted with those of Reacher star Alan Ritchson, who acknowledged the interpreter by shaking his hand before leaving the stage.
One comment on X continued about Gibson: “On point for him. What a disappointment he turned out to be.’
Another said: ‘I don’t even know why he was invited to the Fan Expo when he has a history of this behavior.’
Elsewhere in the original thread, critics labeled Gibson “despicable” and “an abusive human being.”
Gibson recently wrapped production on his sequel to The Passion of the Christ, The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One. Fans noticed his past controversies ahead of Saturday’s event
Gibson is no stranger to controversy, having made headlines for a series of scandals over the years.
The actor faced significant backlash after a recorded anti-Semitic rant during an arrest in Malibu in 2006.
According to the police report of the incident, Gibson told officers, “F***ing Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?’
James Mee, the arresting sheriff’s deputy, was Jewish.
The police report also stated that at one point Gibson saw a female officer and yelled at her, “What do you think you’re looking at, sugar daddies?”
In his apology letter to the Anti-Defamation League, he wrote: “There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or makes any form of anti-Semitic comment.
“I would like to apologize to everyone in the Jewish community for the vicious and harmful words I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested for driving under the influence.”
He had previously said in a statement that he was “taking the necessary steps” in his fight against alcohol abuse.
In 2010, during a recorded phone conversation between Gibson and then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, the actor could be heard using the N-word and telling Oksana that if she were “raped,” it would be her fault. The following year, he pleaded no contest to assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
And in 2015, an Australian photographer claimed Gibson pushed and verbally abused her in Sydney. The actor strongly denied the allegations. Police later dropped the investigation after investigation without filing formal charges.
