Content warning: This piece includes quotes of racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic remarks that include discussion of sexual assault
Media outlets are glossing over Mel Gibson's history of racism, misogyny, and antisemitism in coverage of his “special ambassadorship”
Written by Chloe Simon
Published
On January 16, President-elect Donald Trump announced he was appointing actors Sylyvester Stallone, Jon Voight, and Mel Gibson as “Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California.” In articles about this news, several mainstream media outlets failed to note Gibson’s history of racism, misogyny, and antisemitism, which includes an abusive and racist rant directed atagainst his ex-girlfriend and an exchange in which he asked Jewish actor Winona Ryder if she was an “oven dodger.”
Gibson has a long history of making racist, sexist, and antisemitic remarks.
In 2006, he was arrested while allegedly driving drunk. According to the police report of the incident reported in the media, “Gibson blurted out a barrage of anti-semitic remarks about ‘fucking Jews’. Gibson yelled out: ‘The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.’ Gibson then asked: ‘Are you a Jew?’”
In 2010, tape recordings exposed him making racist and misogynistic remarks toward his then-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, saying, “You go out in public and it's a f***ing embarrassment to me. You look like a f***ing b***h in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers it will be your fault. … You provoked it. You are provocatively dressed.”
Actor Winona Ryder also reported that Gibson made antisemitic and homophobic comments to her and a friend, recalling, “We’re all talking and he [Gibson] said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?’ And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’”
In articles about Trump’s appointment of Gibson, several print mainstream news outlets dropped the ball, either completely omitting his comments or including just vague reference to “scandals.”
Articles in USA Today, Politico, and The Hill failed to include reference to any of Gibson’s antisemitic, misogynistic, and racist comments. The only background about Gibson that articles in USA Today and Politico included was his vocal “support” for Trump. An article in The Hill described Gibson as “well-known for his role” in The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, mentioning some of his other popular films as well.
The New York Times mentioned that movie studios had “long ago ostracized” Gibson because of his “repeated scandals” but didn’t explain them, and The Daily Beast referred to Gibson as a “controversial Hollywood star.”