Actor Mel Gibson is facing heat after mocking an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter on the stage at the Fan Expo Canada in Toronto.
On Saturday, August 29, Gibson walked on stage for his panel. After waving to attendees, he mimicked the woman on stage responsible for providing ASL interpretations for the crowd. Gibson performed several hand gestures as he stood behind the interpreter.
The footage quickly spread across social media, where Gibson faced criticism over what many viewers regarded as disrespectful behaviour towards the interpreter and the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
According to The New York Times, representatives for Fan Expo Canada did not immediately respond when asked whether Gibson had contacted the interpreter directly.
“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. “There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.”
This isn’t the first time Gibson has found himself in the spotlight in recent years, including a 2006 arrest during which he made anti-semitic comments to police. Gibson also made headlines in April 2025 when the Justice Department restored his right to own firearms, which he had lost after a 2011 misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. Gibson had pleaded no contest to a charge stemming from an altercation with his former partner, Oksana Grigorieva.
