Mel Gibson has certainly had his controversial moments over the years, ever since that infamous traffic stop back in 2006.
Now, the one-time “Braveheart” star is issuing an apology over his behavior during a recent fan convention in Toronto.
Mel’s Joke Fell Flat
A video began going viral on social media, in which Gibson is seen standing onstage while he being introduced by an ASL interpreter at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto.
As he begins walking forward, he begins imitating her hand gestures while standing behind her back.
This did not go over well with members of the Deaf community, who felt Gibson was mocking American Sign Language.
“Always disappointing to see my language mocked. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously,” tweeted an X user.
Another X user tweeted, “I still like a couple of his movies, but him as a person, no way. I dislike him even more after this. What a jerk!”
Another
Meanwhie, another Instagram post from the same event has also been going viral.
This one features “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson warmly greeting that same ASL interpreter as they shake hands while he exits the stage.
Mel’s Mea Culpa
As the online backlash grew, Gibson felt the need to issue a statement of apology.
“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 — there was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it,” Gibson said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
An ‘Emotional’ Loss
Looking back at last year, Gibson experienced a huge loss in early 2025.
That January, he traveled to Texas to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast. At the time, he’d been seeing reports of the wildfires that had been raging throughout Southern California — and moving closer to the area where he lived.
As the actor/director told NewsNation, he’d been feeling “ill at ease” by the images that he was seeing on television.
“I thought, ‘Eh, I wonder if my place is still there,’” Gibson said.
When he arrived back in Los Angeles, his worst fears had been confirmed when a smoldering pile of rubble lay where his house once was.
“When I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” he shared.
Revealing he found the experience of discovering his home had been burned to the ground to be “devastating,” he recalled the extent of the damage that he encountered .
“[The area] was completely toasted,” he said. “I’ve never seen such a complete burn.”
Gibson admitted he was uncertain whether he’d rebuild, but at the time he was simply grateful for the generosity of his neighbors and the fact that his family was safe from harm.
‘It’s emotional,” Gibson continued, explaining how losing his belongings to the blaze had “relieved” him of a “burden” in a certain way.
“I had my stuff there. I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders.”
