Mel Gibson's Long, Hateful History

By Ben Widdicombe Posted Jul 11th 2010 01:00PM

Mel Gibson has had more comebacks than Jesus.

While the critics are probably right in saying he's going to have a hard time restoring the public's affection after his most recent tirade -- RadarOnline.com's shocking recordings of verbal and implied physical abuse against his girlfriend -- he's been in similar situations before, many times.

A look at his public record isn't pretty.

As websites such as Gawker.com have pointed out, his trail of ugly rhetoric stretches back to 1991, when he angered the gay community with remarks made to the Spanish newspaper El Pais and reported in the US by columnist Liz Smith.

"They take it up the a**; this is only for taking a s***," he told the newspaper. "With this look, who's going to think I'm gay? I don't lend myself to that type of confusion. Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?"

When asked about the comments by Good Morning America, he replied: "I don't think there's an apology necessary, and I'm certainly not giving one. [Those remarks were a response] to a direct question. If someone wants my opinion, I'll give it. What, am I supposed to lie to them?"

When asked about the incident again by Playboy in 1995, he responded: "I'll apologize when hell freezes over. They can f*** off." (He later agreed to peace talks with the gay group GLAAD, brokered by its then-media director, Chaz Bono.)

After that, Mel stayed quiet until his infamous 2006 DUI bust in Malibu. At that time, he was moved to observe to the officer who pulled him over: "F***ing Jews ... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world ... are you a Jew?"

At this point, you might think that show business is an odd career choice for someone who doesn't like Jews or homosexuals. But as TMZ reported shortly afterward, he also found time to insult women, remarking to a female officer on the scene: "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

Mel laid low after that debacle, but was buoyed by the positive reaction to his 2006 film 'Apocalypto.' Entering rehab for alcohol and his image as a deeply-religious family man also helped cushion the blow.

But that family image took a fatal blow when he divorced the mother of his seven children in 2009 and took up with Oksana Grigorieva, with whom he had a baby (out of wedlock) later that year. By April of 2010, that relationship had ended.

It was that ugly breakup which seems to have prompted Mel's worst tirade of all, in which he goes out of his way to use unconnected racial slurs to insult his Russian ex, in a phone call obtained by RadarOnline.com.

"You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n*****s, it will be your fault," he says on one recording. Speaking separately about a female employee, he says: "I will report her to the f****ng people that take f***ing money from the wetbacks."

About her appearance, he says: "Look what you are ... look what every part of you is ... f***ing fake ... you are the most synthetic person ... who the f*** are you?"

In perhaps the most shocking portion of the tape, Grigorieva demands to know "what kind of man" would hit a woman in the face, while she was holding their baby. His response was: "You know what? You f***ing deserved it."

Gibson himself thinks he's indestructible, telling the London Telegraph (about his earlier troubles, before the Grigorieva tapes were made public): "I am one tough m*****f****r and you can't bother me anymore. You ask anybody what their number one fear is and it's public humiliation. Multiply that on a global scale and that's what I've been through. It changes you and makes you one tough m*****f*****. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

But after almost 20 years of practice, it seems that Mel may finally have launched the tirade that ends his career.

Tags: mel gibson

Comments

(231)

Sunday 11 July

By Tom

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While Mel is definitely out of control and needs lots of help, the pile on press is out there to crucify him. What kind of witch is secretly taping him and releasing it to the press. I can see her using it in a sealed custody matter if he is a genuine threat to the child or her but I doubt it with 7 kids and a former wife of 30 years .A lot of nasty things are said behind closed doors by family members and said in the heat and this creepy russian is trying to ruin her baby's fathers way to make a living. The people on here that are holier than thou ought to shut their yaps and see how this plays out before they make all these judgements.

By Jay Love

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I have grown to dislike Mel Gibson very much in recent years, he is one of the most disgusting entitled people on earth! he is also a phony Christian, not unlike most other Phony Christians and I personally will never spend a dime to watch or support his films or anything he does again. I have no desire to watch him on screen, his work, if ever good, was over years ago and he is a burned out old hypocrit!!

By ross

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he could probably care less !!!

By ctomvelu

Mel is obviously the maniac he portrayed in LETHAL WEAPON. What else can one say? He says things most of us think, but never say out loud. I feel badly for his children. He has self-destructed. I have a tendency to run off at the mouth, so I sympathize to a very small degree -- a very, very small degree.

By BowFlexxx

OMG. I feel as though I have had my head in the sand. Perhaps it has just been timing, but I was never before today aware that Mel Gibson was like this! I am absolutely shocked at some of the statements in this article. Though I was never a fan in the first place, I certainly am not now.

By giselle

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I am a fan of Mel Gibson and always will be. Nothing will stop me from going to see his movies. I didn't really like when he left his wife, the mother of his seven children, but we all mistakes. I love you Mel...... I wish I had your email address.

Monday 12 July

By ChicagoKid

I love how "Christians" have rules that apply to everyone else. But when they beat their wife, threaten her life, cheat on their spouse, use profanity, use anti-semitic, anti-women, anti-gay, anti-hispanic, etc. it's all forgiven!?!? Aka diaper-wearing David Vitter hired hookers to have sex with him while wore a diaper,yet all is forgive cause he said that God has forgiven him.

Rules are for other people. I don't blame her for taping Mel's racist rants. If she said that he said this to her you wouldn't have believed her. You are just blaming the victim. If she has this much on tape, what about all the things he's said/done that hasn't been caught on tape.

By Liz

I am not much of a Mel Gibson fan. Although I do believe, anyone who thinks taping a private conversation then putting it on the internet is okay, needs to get off their high horse and get their noses out of the air. I could be wrong but isn't it illegle to tape someone with out their knowledge.
Seems this Russian woman is some piece of work!

By Dee

He's, Anti gay, anti jew and anti black. We all know, "at this point" there are probably many more, "anti's," that he is, he just hasn't shared them with us...yet.

He's a regular Archie Bunker!

By Mike

Mel Gibson is vile. He's an absolute reprobate, drunk and coward. He thinks he's tough? What has he ever done that denotes being tough? Dressing in leather and shooting prop guns on an Australian or Hollywood movie set? Throw gallons of fake blood at an actor pretending to be Christ?

He's mean and ugly. His films are useless B-movies, with one or two exceptions. He'll never go away, because he reflects a large, ugly part of the movie-going public: The foul-mouthed, juvenile, malformed little boy.

I'm amused by the "she set him up" argument. As if the unfortunate part of being a cruel bigot is being caught.

Go away, Mel, you pathetic little cretin.

By Deras

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Mel reminds me of the character played by James Coburn in the movie "Affliction" with Nick Nolte. The man was a violent alcoholic and when under the influence his real self would be revealed.

By Gina

Who cares what he says ...his life is not our business.
He's an actor ...who is real good at what he does .

By RR

Why is it that when Mel Gibson has a few rough words for his ADULT girlfriend, he's vilified, but when Alec Baldwin has nasty things to say to his MINOR daughter, you hear hardly another word about it? wtf?

By Dave

Alec Bldwin WAS villified for it, and he deserved it. Despite what you think, this isn't a case of the "mean media" trying to hurt Mel. He did that on his own.

By Panacea

It's all Bush's fault! Vote Obama, Reid, Peloser for your future.

By Jennifer

Seriously, he isn't even acting like a typical bigot anymore. He's acting like he's really post his mind. Perhaps it's his alcohol abuse? Perhaps he's getting Alzhiemers, or caught syphillis and it's affecting his brian...
He's acting crazy.

By camille

I agree with Jess...time someone put these "GOLDDIGGERS" in their place! I don't agree with all the racial slurs, but we all say stuff in private. Like he knew she was tape-recording......

By Kimberly

I remember when he said his wife wasn't going to Heaven because she wasn't Catholic like him. Well, his wife isn't a bigoted, aloholic adulterer with multiple arrests. His wife is lucky to be rid of him.

By garry

to berg and steven and rock, sure she set him up. you dont know how to push your mates buttons?sure you do. i will admit he has a temper. but we dont know what was said to start this action.tapes are not just sitting there.as forthe bigot part you people answered that yourself by calling me mental, bigotry,and calling mel all those names like crude,arrogant,foulmouthed,bigotry.when you think bad about someone its hatred and bigotry.........

By ajschrod

How could this exceptional actor live the "Hollywood" life so many years without his terrible bias and bigotry not being seen? Has anyone found a moment or happening that could have triggered this? His films were SO good as to make me want to "turn a deaf ear" on his rants, but human nature only allows so much leeway!

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