Toronto’s flagship pop culture expo angered fans Thursday when it announced that controversial actor Mel Gibson will be making an appearance this year.
Fan Expo, an exhibition that hosts over 100,000 comic, anime, sci-fi and video game enthusiasts each summer, posted the announcement to social media Thursday and was quickly flooded with replies from followers disappointed with the decision to give Gibson this platform.
“Wth?! Dear god, do better,” X user @kaebear89 wrote. “My family was thinking of attending this year, but not anymore,” @michaeljrspeers said.
Gibson is slated to attend the exhibition on Aug. 29, and will pose for a private photo or sign an autograph for $250.
“He’s led revolutions, ruled the wasteland, and set the bar for epic storytelling. Mel Gibson’s roles in Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, & Mad Max are more than iconic — they’re legendary. Meet this cinematic hero when he comes to Toronto this August,” read Fan Expo Canada’s announcement post.
Mel Gibson’s troubling past
The most liked replies to the company’s social media posts referenced Gibson’s troubling past.
The 70-year-old Australian-American actor made headlines in 2006 for using antisemitic slurs during a DUI arrest. Four years later, media reports of Gibson directing more racial taunts and making threats of physical violence to his then-wife, Oksana Grigorieva, during a recorded argument stalled his Hollywood career for several years.
Gibson was later sentenced to a domestic violence counselling program and community service after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour battery charge against Grigorieva.
“Really questionable booking. Any comment for your attendees who are opposed to hate speech?” @KPanOfficial wrote to Fan Expo on X.
In 2017, Gibson earned a Best Director nomination at the Oscars for “Hacksaw Ridge,” his biggest film since the controversies. Otherwise, though, his career has stalled in recent years and his credits consist mostly of straight-to-DVD action movies.
Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump named Gibson, along with Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight, as special ambassadors to Hollywood, saying he wanted the actors to help bring back the “very troubled” industry’s “lost business.”
Making the expo rounds
Gibson has been making the convention rounds in recent years, attending events in London, England, Philadelphia and Orlando.
He is the 21st celebrity who has committed to attending Fan Expo in Toronto this year. The list includes “Lord of the Rings” stars Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, as well as Alec Baldwin, who is set to face a civil trial for a 2021 shooting during production of the film “Rust” that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
