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Mel Gibson Apologizes After Mocking Sign Language Interpreter Onstage
Confirmed
Mel Gibson has apologized in the face of online backlash following an appearance on Saturday at Fan Expo Canada, where he appeared to mock an American Sign Language interpreter as he was welcomed on stage. Mel Gibson has issued an apology amid backlash over his recent appearance at FanExpo Fan Expo Canada, where the The Braveheart Oscar winner mocked an ASL interpreter while walking on stage to attend his retrospective Q&A.
Video captured from the interview shows Gibson emerging from a curtain and briefly using hand movements to imitate the interpreter in front of the crowd before taking his seat. Winona Ryder recounted the alleged remarks in an interview with The Sunday Times, saying: “We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we’re all talking and he said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get Aids?’ “And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’” Winona Ryder told the newspaper that Gibson “tried” to apologize later on.
The Hollywood actor and The Passion of the Christ filmmaker was taking part in a Q&A about his career when, in a video making the rounds on social media, he apparently made hand gestures as he came out from behind a curtain and walked directly past an ASL interpreter.
In 2011, leaked phone calls between Gibson and his estranged former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva revealed several violence-threatening, sexist, and casually racist tirades the actor had launched against the mother of his then-nine-month-old daughter.
to The Hollywood Reporter to The Hollywood Reporter Online backlash followed the ‘From Braveheart’ star making hand gestures behind the back of an ASL interpreter as he walked on stage in Toronto for a career Q&A session.
What a jerk!” In an Instagram post making the rounds from Fan Expo Canada, Reacher star Alan Ritchson is seen shaking hands with the same ASL interpreter as he leaves the stage to applause after his own event session. Gibson has been a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump. (Greg Nash) "I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised," Gibson said in a statement to Fox News Digital at the time.
“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,” Gibson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously.” In another X post, another user wrote, “I still like a couple of his movies, but him as a person, no way.
The online fury comes as Gibson and Lionsgate prepare to release the two-parter The Resurrection of Christ. For now, Gibson’s reps have been left playing cleanup after the weekend incident at Fan Expo Canada.
What's confirmed
- Mel Gibson has apologized in the face of online backlash following an appearance on Saturday at Fan Expo Canada, where he appeared to mock an American Sign Language interpreter as he was welcomed on stage.
- Mel Gibson has issued an apology amid backlash over his recent appearance at FanExpo Fan Expo Canada, where the The Braveheart Oscar winner mocked an ASL interpreter while walking on stage to attend his retrospective…
What's still developing
- Another user noted, "Least controversial Mel Gibson incident.
- In 2025, President Donald Trump announced three special envoys with the purpose of promoting business in The Hollywood.
- Gibson has been a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump. (Greg Nash) "I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised," Gibson said in a statement to Fox News Digital at the time.
- Video captured from the interview shows Gibson emerging from a curtain and briefly using hand movements to imitate the interpreter in front of the crowd before taking his seat.
- “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,” Gibson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
- to The Hollywood Reporter to The Hollywood Reporter Online backlash followed the ‘From Braveheart’ star making hand gestures behind the back of an ASL interpreter as he walked on stage in Toronto for a career Q&A…
- The Hollywood actor and The Passion of the Christ filmmaker was taking part in a Q&A about his career when, in a video making the rounds on social media, he apparently made hand gestures as he came out from behind a…
- The online fury comes as Gibson and Lionsgate prepare to release the two-parter The Resurrection of Christ .