Mel Gibson is apologising after facing backlash for appearing to mock an American Sign Language interpreter during a Q&A at FanExpo Canada in Toronto.
Video from the Saturday, August 29 event shows the 70-year-old actor-filmmaker walking onto the stage behind the interpreter and briefly making hand gestures that appeared to imitate her signing, before taking his seat for the panel.
The clip spread widely on social media, drawing sharp criticism from viewers who accused him of mocking the interpreter and the broader deaf community.
Gibson addressed the backlash in a statement issued Monday, August 31.
“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 apologise to anyone who was upset by it.”
Some online reaction pushed back on the explanation, with one social media user calling on FanExpo Canada to formally apologise to the interpreter and the deaf community for booking Gibson at all, describing the moment as “grossly disrespectful” and “ableist.”
At the event, Gibson discussed his career with moderator Liam Crowley, touching on Mad Max, Lethal Weapon and his long-in-development Passion of the Christ sequel, The Resurrection of the Christ, expected in 2027.
The controversy adds to a long history of public backlash Gibson has faced over the years, including his widely covered 2006 DUI arrest, during which he made antisemitic remarks to a police officer, and a 2010 scandal involving leaked recordings containing racist and threatening language directed at his then-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.
