Mel Gibson is apologizing for once again doing something offensive, though this time he did it in public instead of during a drunken driving arrest or while fighting and allegedly battering his ex-girlfriend.

As the 70-year-old walked onstage during a Fan Expo Canada event over the weekend, he mocked the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter who was present, Page Six and People reported. Video of the “Lethal Weapon” star’s appearance at the convention went viral, showing him come out from behind the curtain, wave at attendees and then mimic the interpreter’s signs.

The backlash on social media was immediate and mostly damning, with people on X saying that Gibson’s mockery was “despicable” and “gross,” Page Six reported.

“This choice is bonkers to me,” film critic Jeff Ewing said on X. He was referring to the “positive vibes” convention — which caters to fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming — inviting such a polarizing celebrity with a decades-long history of making homophobic, sexist, racist and antisemitic remarks, as Page Six also reported. Ewing said the interpreter was “just doing their job” while people were there to genuinely welcome Gibson and hear what he had to say.

“What dysfunction causes a brain to need to be casually cruel for no reason?” Ewing asked.

In response to Ewing’s post, another person said, “Isn’t it widely known by now (Gibson is) a just terrible human being on the same Grumpy Grandpa level as Voight, Woods and Quaid…?”

In response to the backlash, Gibson issued a statement that described his behavior as “spontaneous thoughtless idiocy.” He apologized, saying, “There was no intended maliciousness attached, and I certainly apologize to anyone who was upset by it.”

Gibson also explained: “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.”

Certainly, the event should have gone much better for Gibson, who once won an Academy Award for directing “Braveheart.” He was invited to participate in a panel discussion and reminisce about his long Hollywood career, including the years when he was one of the most popular, bankable stars in the world thanks to his roles in the “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapons” movies and for more serious, early roles in “Gallipoli” and “The Year of Living Dangerously.” During the discussion, Gibson also shared a few details about his two “The Resurrection of Christ” movies, the upcoming follow-ups to 2004’s biblical epic, “The Passion of the Christ.”

Instead Gibson reminded people of all the past times he was “terrible,” as people on X called him.

Gibson first did serious damage to his reputation when he went on an antisemitic rant during his 2006 arrest for drunk driving, later insisting he was “truly sorry” for an “out of control” moment that was tied to his drinking, Page Six reported.

“I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse,” he said.

But then a recording surfaced in 2010 of Gibson going on an obscenity-laced tirade against his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigoriev, the mother of his 1-year-old daughter, berating Grigoriev for her appearance and even using the N-word, ABC News reported. A physical altercation between the couple also led to Gibson pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery.

That same year, Winona Ryder alleged Gibson made homophobic and antisemitic remarks to her and a gay friend at a star-studded bash, Page Six reported.

“He was really drunk,” Ryder said at the time. “It was just this weird, weird moment.”

When Ryder spoke about Gibson’s comments again in 2020, the actor’s rep issued a statement insisting that the “Stranger Things” alum “was lying” on both occasions, Page Six reported.

Nonetheless, Gibson’s popularity in Hollywood has suffered from the scandals, with a source telling Page Six in 2008 that he had become a “pariah.” Aside from followers of MAGA politics, Gibson’s standing in the industry probably didn’t get much of a boost when President Donald Trump named him, Sylvester Stallone and fellow “Grumpy Grandpa” Jon Voight as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood.

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