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Mel Gibson apologizes for gestures behind ASL interpreter at Fan Expo Canada

Mel Gibson has apologized after video showed him making exaggerated hand gestures behind an American Sign Language interpreter at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto. Gibson called his actions 'thoughtless idiocy' and said there was no malicious intent, while social media reactions were mixed.

By Tertius News AI Desk 5 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articles Version 3 Coverage Aug 31, 2026 Published 10m ago

Apology over on-stage gestures

Mel Gibson has apologized after video showed him making exaggerated hand gestures behind an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto over the weekend. The 70-year-old actor-filmmaker was seen walking on stage for a retrospective Q&A when he appeared to mimic the interpreter's movements, as reported by Variety, the Toronto Sun, PerthNow, and The News International.

In a statement to Variety, Gibson said: "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." He added: "There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it." The News International quoted the same statement, noting Gibson said he was overwhelmed at the moment.

Incident details

The incident occurred Saturday, Aug. 29, at the annual Fan Expo Canada event, which the event's website bills as "the largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event in Canada and the third-largest Pop Culture event in North America," according to Variety. Gibson was introduced by moderator Liam Crowley, as reported by the Toronto Sun and PerthNow. Video shows Gibson stepping out in front of the audience and briefly making hand gestures behind the interpreter's back, as the Toronto Sun reported, though his entrance did not appear to register with Crowley or the interpreter, according to the New York Daily News.

Gibson's appearance at the expo included autograph and photo opportunities priced at $275 each, per the event's website, as reported by Variety.

Mixed reactions on social media

Reactions to the video were divided. A commentator who posted the original video wrote: "Always disappointing to see my language mocked. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously," as quoted by the Toronto Sun and PerthNow. Another person responded: "We take it so seriously that we're able to joke about it like we do everything else," according to the Toronto Sun. One X user wrote: "One of the greatest actors of all time… also happens to be one of (the) greatest trolls of all time," the Toronto Sun reported. Others were more critical, with one commenting: "On point for him. Such a disappointment he turned out to be," as reported by the Toronto Sun, PerthNow, and the New York Daily News. The New York Daily News also quoted an X user who wrote: "Now people are disappointed in him? He's a terrible person," while noting that others felt Gibson critics were overreacting.

Context of past controversies

The New York Daily News noted that Gibson refused to apologize when GLAAD criticized him for behavior some found homophobic in the 1990s, and that he was accused of antisemitic rhetoric during a 2006 traffic stop, when he was filmed making derogatory comments about Jewish people. PerthNow reported that according to the police report at the time, Gibson said to officers: "F Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?" Gibson later wrote to the Anti-Defamation League, saying: "There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark." He added: "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge," as quoted by PerthNow.

The New York Daily News also reported that Gibson was prohibited from owning a firearm following a 2011 domestic violence conviction, but had his gun rights restored in April 2025, according to USA Today.

Upcoming projects

Gibson has been working on his upcoming two-part film "The Resurrection of the Christ," a sequel to his 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ," which earned $612 million worldwide, as reported by Variety and PerthNow. In a statement earlier this year, Gibson said: "I'm deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful. This film represents a major part of my life's work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist," as quoted by PerthNow.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

New York Daily News

Framing: Highlights Gibson's self-described 'idiocy' as the central reaction to the imitation incident. — Measured with a critical edge, recounting the incident and Gibson's explanation while including critical social media reactions.

as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Mel Gibson blames 'idiocy' on his decision to impersonate an interpreter for the hearing impaired at a Canadian Fan Expo event.
The 70-year-old Academy Award-winning filmmaker was filmed making nonsensical hand features behind a sign language translator introducing him to fans at a celebratory gathering being emceed by reporter Liam Crowley.
His entrance didn’t appear to register with Crowley or the interpreter, who may not have seen Gibson’s prank.
Gibson told TMZ he was caught up in the moment.
Gibson refused to apologize when GLAAD criticized him for behavior some found to be a homophobic in the 1990s.
He’s also been accused of engaging in antisemitic rhetoric, which gained attention during a 2006 traffic stop when he was filmed accusing 'f–king Jews' for causing the world’s wars.
He was prohibited from owning a firearm following a 2011 domestic violence conviction, but had his gun rights restored in April 2025, according to USA Today.
One X user commented on his latest controversy: 'Now people are disappointed in him? He’s a terrible person.'
Others felt Gibson critics were overreacting to his attempt at humor in Toronto over the weekend.

Read the source article →

PerthNow

Framing: Headline emphasizes Gibson's apology and his self-description of the incident as 'thoughtless idiocy', highlighting his admission of fault. — Measured, reporting the apology and criticism without editorializing.

as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Mel Gibson has apologised for his "thoughtless idiocy" after appearing to mock a deaf American Sign Language interpreter.
The 70-year-old actor was heavily criticised on social media after a video went viral showing him making exaggerated hand gestures as he walked on stage at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto over the weekend.
He said in a statement: "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."
In the video shared online, the Braveheart star was introduced on stage by moderator Liam Crowley.
As he stepped out in front of the audience, Gibson briefly made his own hand gestures behind the woman's back.
One X user wrote: "Always disappointing to see my language mocked. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously."
Another user wrote on X: "On point for him. Such a disappointment he turned out to be."
Back in 2006, Gibson was recorded making antisemitic comments while being arrested in Malibu.
According to the police report at the time, he said to the officers: "F****** Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?"
At the time, Gibson wrote to the Anti-Defamation League and said: "There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark."
He said: "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge."
Gibson has been working on his upcoming two-part blockbuster The Resurrection of the Christ, which is a sequel to his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ.
In a statement earlier this year, he said: "I’m deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful. This film represents a major part of my life’s work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me. It’s a mission I’ve carried for over twenty years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history. Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ - masters of their craft - allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it."

Read the source article →

The News International

Framing: Mel Gibson's apology after mocking an ASL interpreter

as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Mel Gibson apologized after mocking an ASL interpreter.
The incident occurred at FanExpo Canada.
Gibson said he was overwhelmed at that moment.
He appeared to imitate the ASL reporter on his way to the stage.
The backlash continued for two days.
Gibson was invited for a Q&A session on his career.
The gesture went viral on the internet.
Gibson told Variety: '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.'
He said: 'There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologise to anyone who was upset by it.'

Read the source article →

Toronto Sun

Framing: The headline emphasizes that a video of Mel Gibson allegedly mocking an ASL interpreter sparks debate.

as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Video footage of Mel Gibson apparently mimicking a sign language interpreter at a Fan Expo Canada panel in Toronto over the weekend has gone viral.
The 70-year-old actor-filmmaker is seen walking out to cheers from the audience after moderator Liam Crowley introduces Gibson at the event held Saturday.
As he steps out onstage behind an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, he begins gesturing with his hands, appearing to copy the interpreter’s movements.
The Passion of the Christ director then shakes hands with Crowley before the two sit down for the Q&A panel, where he talks about working in Toronto and starring in the original Mad Max film.
Mixed reactions to video posted online: the audience cheered and clapped, but several on social media were not impressed, while others thought he meant it as a joke.
A commentator who posted the original video wrote: 'Always disappointing to see my language mocked. We work hard to get our language recognized and be taken seriously.'
Another person responded: 'We take it so seriously that we’re able to joke about it like we do everything else.'
One person wrote on X: 'One of the greatest actors of all time… also happens to be one of (the) greatest trolls of all time.'
Another commentator wrote: 'On point for him. Such a disappointment he turned out to be.'
Gibson responded to the backlash in a statement to Variety, apologizing to those who were offended.
Gibson said: '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 added: 'There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.'

Read the source article →

Variety

Framing: The headline emphasizes the action (mocking the ASL interpreter) and the subsequent apology, framing it as a discrete event followed by a response.

as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Mel Gibson apologized after mocking an ASL interpreter at FanExpo Canada.
The incident occurred during his retrospective Q&A at the event.
Video of the incident was widely circulated on social media platforms like X.
Gibson said in a statement to Variety: '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 added: 'There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.'
The appearance took place Saturday, Aug. 29, and included autograph and photo opportunities priced at $275 each, per the event's website.
FanExpo Canada is held annually and is billed as 'the largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event in Canada and the third-largest Pop Culture event in North America.'
Users on X shared a video of 'Reacher' star Alan Ritchson shaking the hand of the ASL interpreter after his Q&A.
Gibson was infamously arrested in 2006, during which he made disparaging comments about Jewish people.
The backlash over his antisemitic remarks soured his career in Hollywood.
His upcoming 'Passion of the Christ' follow-up could mark his return to box office domination, as the 2004 original earned $612 million worldwide.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimMel Gibson mocked or mimicked an ASL interpreter at a FanExpo Canada panel in Toronto.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (4 outlets · 4 distinct) via Toronto Sun as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC, New York Daily News as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC, PerthNow as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC, The News International as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimMel Gibson apologized after mocking an ASL interpreter.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (4 outlets · 4 distinct) via The News International as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC, New York Daily News as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC, Toronto Sun as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC, Variety as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC
ClaimThe incident occurred at FanExpo Canada in Toronto.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets · 3 distinct) via Variety as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC, New York Daily News as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC, Toronto Sun as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC
ClaimGibson said he was overwhelmed at the moment and displayed 'spontaneous thoughtless idiocy'.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The News International as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimHe appeared to imitate the ASL interpreter on his way to the stage.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (3 outlets · 3 distinct) via Variety as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC, New York Daily News as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC, Toronto Sun as of Aug 31, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC
ClaimGibson said he was overwhelmed at the moment.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The News International as of Aug 31, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC, New York Daily News as of Aug 31, 2026, 9:17 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

5 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articles consulted: New York Daily News, PerthNow, The News International, Toronto Sun, Variety 6 claims extracted Version 3 Written 2026-08-31