Mel Gibson issued an apology Monday after a video circulated online appeared to show the actor and director mocking an American Sign Language interpreter as he walked onstage for a career retrospective Q&A at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto.
The clip, taken during Mr. Gibson’s Saturday panel at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, showed the 70-year-old star gesturing behind the interpreter’s back before greeting the audience. The footage spread quickly across social media, with many users criticizing Mr. Gibson for what they described as an insensitive and unnecessary jab at a Deaf-community professional simply doing her job.
“Sometimes when you get pushed out on a stage in a spotlight your mind is all over the place, and sometimes spontaneous thoughtless idiocy is displayed,” Mr. Gibson said in a statement. “There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.”
Reaction online was sharply divided. Some commenters called the moment “dumb” and “disrespectful,” while others argued the criticism was overblown, with one person on X calling it the least controversial Gibson incident in his long history of public controversies. The contrast was heightened by a separate viral clip from the same event showing “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson shaking the interpreter’s hand as he left the stage after his own panel — a gesture many online praised for its contrast with Mr. Gibson’s behavior.
Mr. Gibson’s appearance was part of a busy summer expo circuit; he previously drew attention at Fan Expo Boston for comments about why a fifth “Lethal Weapon” film never came together. He has also confirmed he is in post-production on “The Resurrection of the Christ,” his long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ,” which earned about $612 million worldwide and held the record as the highest-grossing R-rated film at the domestic box office for roughly 20 years, until “Deadpool & Wolverine” surpassed it in August 2024.
His 2006 DUI arrest, during which he made antisemitic remarks, triggered widespread condemnation and damaged his standing in Hollywood.
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