Mel Gibson has apologized over his entrance at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, where video appeared to show the 70-year-old actor and filmmaker mocking an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter as he stepped onstage Saturday, August 29, 2026, for a career retrospective Q&A.
Clips of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre panel spread widely online and drew several days of criticism before the “Braveheart” Oscar winner responded with a statement on Monday, August 31. Gibson blamed the moment on “spontaneous thoughtless idiocy,” saying that being shoved into a spotlight can scatter a performer’s thinking.
“There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it,” Gibson said in a statement his representative gave to People and other outlets the same day.
What the Viral Clip Shows
In the footage, Gibson comes out from behind a curtain, flicks his hands in a quick imitation of the interpreter stationed on the platform, then drops into his seat in front of the crowd. The whole thing is over almost immediately, a few seconds of rapid gestures made behind the interpreter’s back as he walks past.
Its brevity did nothing to blunt the reaction. Once the video made the rounds on X and other platforms, users described the behavior as disappointing and casually cruel, and some aimed their criticism at Fan Expo as well for handing the controversial star a marquee slot. One X user said seeing their language mocked is always disheartening, noting how hard the deaf community works to have ASL recognized and taken seriously.
A counterexample from the same convention circulated alongside it: video showing “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson shaking hands with an ASL interpreter as he left the stage to applause after his own session. That contrast became a recurring theme in posts about the weekend.
The interpreter Gibson walked past has not been identified in any published account, and neither that person nor any deaf advocacy organization has commented. Fan Expo Canada has not addressed the incident either.
Inside the Toronto Q&A
Before the clip took over the conversation, the session itself was a fairly routine walk through Gibson’s filmography. Moderator Liam Crowley steered him through “Mad Max,” “Lethal Weapon” and other titles from a decades-long career in front of and behind the camera.
He also teased details of his two-part follow-up to 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Lionsgate is releasing “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One” in theaters May 6, 2027, with “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two” scheduled for May 25, 2028. Both dates are later than the ones announced in 2025; the studio pushed the films back last spring.
The convention ran through Sunday, August 30, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Fan Expo Canada bills itself as the country’s biggest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming convention, and the third-largest pop culture event on the continent. Autographs and photo opportunities with Gibson at the expo were priced at $275 each, according to the event’s website.
The Toronto appearance was one stop in a busy summer on the convention circuit for Gibson. He turned up at Fan Expo Chicago on August 15, and before that at Fan Expo Boston, where his explanation of why “Lethal Weapon 5” was never made drew headlines. He was also a guest at MegaCon Orlando on February 7, 2025.
A Long History of Controversy
Gibson has spent decades managing the fallout from his own behavior. A drunken-driving stop in 2006 ended with his arrest, and the antisemitic comments he made about Jewish people that night severely damaged his standing in Hollywood. Leaked audio four years later captured a racist, misogynistic tirade he unleashed at his then-girlfriend, the mother of his infant daughter.
Reaction to the Fan Expo clip broke along familiar lines. Some commenters figured Gibson thought he was being funny rather than cruel — a defense that, in one commenter’s words, would make him a fool rather than a villain. Others objected to how the statement was worded, arguing that apologizing to anyone who was upset is not the same as apologizing for what he did.
Sequels and Thrillers Ahead
For a star in the middle of an image-sensitive comeback, the timing is uncomfortable. “The Passion of the Christ” took in $612 million worldwide and held the domestic record for the highest-grossing R-rated release for two decades, until “Deadpool and Wolverine” passed it in August 2024, and the two-part sequel is Gibson’s best chance at reaching that level again.
His on-screen schedule stays full as well. The father of nine starred in 2025’s “Hunting Season,” and the thrillers “The Canyon” and “Coyote” are among his coming projects.
Two weeks on, the episode has cost him nothing visible. No further statement has come from Gibson, and the studio has kept to its plan: “The Passion of the Christ” returned to theaters from September 10 to 17 in a 4K restoration from Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment, carrying an exclusive first look at the sequel.