Mel Gibson is doing damage control after a viral clip showed him mocking an American Sign Language interpreter in front of a live crowd. The moment happened Saturday, August 29, at Fan Expo Canada's "From Braveheart to Mad Max" Q&A at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre, and by Monday it had spiraled into the kind of internet pile-on that doesn't fade quietly.

As moderator Liam Crowley introduced Gibson to the room, an ASL interpreter stood signing the intro for deaf and hard-of-hearing fans in attendance. Gibson walked out from backstage, paused directly behind her, turned to face the audience, and broke into a burst of rapid, exaggerated hand-flapping before flashing a grin and shaking Crowley's hand to take his seat. Video of the exchange spread fast, and the reaction was not kind.

By Monday, Gibson had a statement ready. Speaking to Fox News Digital, the 70-year-old actor framed it as an off-the-cuff misstep rather than a targeted jab.

"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 — there was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it."

The internet wasn't buying it

The apology did little to cool things down. Commenters called the gesture "despicable" and piled on further when members of the deaf community weighed in, with one advocate writing that it's "always disappointing to see my language mocked" after years of pushing for ASL to be taken seriously as a language rather than a punchline.

Making matters worse for Gibson: footage from the same convention showing "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson warmly shaking the same interpreter's hand after his own panel began circulating side-by-side with the Gibson clip, and fans didn't hesitate to point out the contrast. Deadline's report noted the apology has largely "fallen flat" with critics who say a statement two days later doesn't erase a live, filmed moment.

Fan Expo organizers have not issued a public statement on the incident, and it's unclear whether Gibson plans any further comment or gesture — no pun intended — to address the deaf community's concerns directly. For now, the clip continues to rack up shares, and Gibson's name is once again trending for reasons that have nothing to do with a movie.