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Even when Mel Gibson can no longer surprise with bad behavior, he still manages to shock.
Appearing on stage, the polarizing-at-best actor mocked the ASL interpreter.
Yes, this is on video. It is short and anything but sweet.
Some would say that he doesn’t understand how hateful his conduct is. Others would argue that he simply does not care.
Is Mel Gibson a good person? Signs point to ‘no’
On Saturday, August 29, moderator Liam Crowley introduced Mel Gibson at the Fan Expo Canada.
The actor walked onto the stage on cue at the Toronto event.
We can see the ASL interpreter signing for the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of the audience.
As he walks out, Gibson appears to mimic — or mock — the ASL interpreter.
Crowley graciously avoids commenting and allows Gibson’s fans (He has them! There must be dozens of them, at least, by the sound of it) to cheer. Online, however, the backlash was intense.
Being a misogynistic racist wasn’t enough, so Mel Gibson decided to mock the deaf community.
— Shawn Patrick Farrell (@shawnfarrell.bsky.social) August 31, 2026 at 4:44 AM
“Always disappointing to see my language mocked. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously,” tweeted one social media user.
“Why hasn‘t he been blacklisted from everywhere yet? Genuinely don‘t get it,” asked a bewildered person.
(The answer is that “cancel culture” is a talking point, not a real cultural phenomenon — not in a way that impacts terrible men with any degree of power.)
“It’s ridiculous the Mel Gibson is able to show up to concerts and events in Toronto and people are welcoming him with open arms,” expressed another tweet. “It’s nauseating.”
One individual simply asked: “I don’t even know why he was invited to Fan Expo when he has a history of this behaviour.”
Mind you Mel Gibson asked Winona Ryder if she was an “oven dodger” bc she’s Jewish. https://t.co/r69yvXYE38 pic.twitter.com/76UPd8ahbK
— Charmer ✒️ (@CharmerMemerTWT) January 16, 2025
He is pretty loud and (usually) proud of not being a good person
If you are unfamiliar, Mel Gibson’s history of controversies goes back decades.
Do you know how homophobic you needed to sound to be called out for in the early 1990s?
He was also accused of referring to Winona Ryder as an “oven-dodger,” a Holocaust reference. Far from his first accusation of antisemitism.
Though Gibson claimed that the beloved actress was merely lying, he could not say the same after his 2006 arrest video showed the world his antisemitic ranting.
Elements of his alleged bigotry have also filtered into his film projects. The Passion of the Christ was accused of pushing an antisemitic narrative, while Apocalypto pushed an ahistorical and arguably anti-indigenous one.
Mel Gibson mocking an ASL interpreter at FanExpo?? Damn thats pretty low. I guess there was no way of knowing he would do something like that…… he always seemed so chill and respectful towards marginalized people
— annabelle (@mowderz.bsky.social) August 31, 2026 at 11:56 AM
In 2010, audio tapes leaked in which Gibson appeared to make threats and say the N-word while speaking to Oksana Grigorieva. By “appeared to make threats” we mean that, among other things, he threatened to burn down her house.
Becoming one of the Trump regime’s Hollywood ambassadors, whatever that means, has not helped.
It is possible that Gibson’s history of being one of the worst people in the entertainment industry has influenced how people respond to what some might say is just the ignorant antics of an old man in his 70s.
But many argue that it’s more likely that one despicable old man is simply being consistent against various groups — this time, the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Meanwhile, we’re all left wondering why he’s still receiving invitations to events. Who is excited to see him? Why does he still have any number of fans?
