Mel Gibson apologizes after a video circulated online appears to show him mocking an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter while walking on stage at a fan event in Canada. Multiple outlets report the incident occurred over the weekend at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, where Gibson takes part in a career Q&A and makes brief, seemingly derisive hand gestures behind the interpreter’s back.
The footage is described as short—about 1–3 seconds—and the moment draws rapid backlash on social media. Outlets characterize the gesture differently, but agree the context is sensitive: Gibson’s onstage actions are widely interpreted as disrespectful toward the interpreter. Several reports say Gibson frames his apology in terms of intent, describing it as “thoughtless idiocy” and emphasizing there was no intended maliciousness. Coverage varies mainly in wording and emphasis, including how closely outlets attribute motive versus focusing on the public reaction and the widely shared video.
Across sources, the key points are that Gibson issues an apology, the incident is linked to his appearance at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, and the backlash follows because of how the interpreter and sign language are affected in the moment captured on video.
