Mel Gibson Apologizes After Backlash Over ASL Interpreter Gestures
Mel Gibson My ASL Gestures Were 'Thoughtless Idiocy'
Published
Mel Gibson is apologizing after catching heat for making hand gestures behind an ASL interpreter at a Canadian fan expo ... telling TMZ it was a dumb, spur-of-the-moment move with no ill intent.
Mel tells TMZ ... "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."
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He adds ... "There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it."
As we reported ... Mel was introduced onstage Saturday at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto and walked out behind an American Sign Language interpreter before briefly making hand gestures of his own.
The moment quickly drew backlash online, with some people accusing Mel of mocking the interpreter ... though others said they wanted more context before assuming that was his intent.
Bottom line ... Mel says it was stupidity, not malice.
