Mel Gibson Mocks ASL Interpreter in Cringeworthy Viral Video, Internet Erupts

Mel Gibson stepped out from backstage at FanExpo Canada’s 30th-anniversary weekend, and within seconds, reminded the internet exactly why it never fully forgave him.

As moderator Liam Crowley introduced the 70-year-old actor to the Toronto crowd on August 29, 2026, an ASL interpreter was signing the intro for deaf and hard-of-hearing fans. Gibson walked up behind her, flapped his hands in mockery, then flashed the crowd a grin like he’d just landed a bit.

The clip hit social media within hours. “This is despicable!” tweeted one horrified onlooker, and thousands piled on.

Deaf community members were quick to weigh in. “Always disappointing to see my language mocked,” wrote one ASL advocate, noting how hard the community fights for that language to be respected.

Mel Gibson walked onstage at Fan Expo behind an ASL interpreter and flashed hand gestures at the crowd.

Some people say he was mocking her. Others say it was a joke and they’re overreacting.

No comment from Gibson.

What do you think it was? pic.twitter.com/1KnD74BeCd

— Crime Talk with Scott Reisch (@CrimeTalkNet) August 31, 2026

Not everyone joined the pile-on. Some defenders insisted it was just “a dumb joke… not worth getting offended over,” proof Gibson’s fanbase remains loyal no matter what.

But the internet had a receipt ready. Reacher star Alan Ritchson worked the same convention circuit and, at a separate moment, stopped to properly thank his own interpreter. One fan called it a masterclass, gushing that “Alan Ritchson is a class act.”

The contrast did Gibson zero favors, especially stacked against his decades-long history of alleged bigoted remarks, from antisemitic slurs to a leaked 2010 tirade. One Bluesky user summed up the mood: “Being a misogynistic racist wasn’t enough” for him to stop, apparently.

Meanwhile, fans reportedly paid $175 for a photo op with the man of the hour that same weekend.

Which is its own punchline, especially for a man about to release a movie titled The Resurrection of the Christ. As one commenter summed it up: “How very Christian of him.”

Gibson has actually issued an apology. “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 apologize to anyone who was upset by it.”