Mel Gibson, award-winning actor and filmmaker, caught the ire of the internet over the last several days after he dared salute former President Donald Trump during a Saturday UFC match.
What are the details?
Gibson and Trump both attended the UFC 264 fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, when Trump entered the arena to raucous cheers and applause.
Gibson, 65, was standing near the former president’s path through the crowd and was seen in a TikTok video saluting him.
Author John Pavlovitz hit out at Gibson on Twitter, writing, “Mel Gibson is who we thought he was.”
Mel Gibson is who we thought he was.
— John Pavlovitz (@John Pavlovitz)1626128046.0
Another user complained, “The crazy thing is, you didn’t even need to know why Mel Gibson was trending to know that he probably did something s****y. Rest in hell to his dead career.”
“Of course Mel Gibson gave Trump a salute at the UFC game, they both have shared fondness for Nazis and white supremacists,” yet another user thundered. “If you’re more upset that I accidentally referred to the UFC match as a game than the fact that Mel Gibson is a racist, homophobic anti semite who counts being verbally abusive towards women as one of his favorite past times then may I suggest you rethink your priorities.”
Yet another chimed in, “Yes, not a surprise. Both guys know how to salute but know nothing of the military.”
“Can’t say I was surprised. Also I can’t believe I used to be a huge fan of his. I can’t watch any of his movies anymore,” another complained.
Another raged, “Mel Gibson saluting Trump shouldn’t suprise anyone. Nazis salute other Nazis.”
What else?
In 2020, Gibson told Fox News that he simply isn’t qualified to speak out about politics.
“Who the hell cares what I think?” he said at the time. “I’m not an expert — what am I qualified to talk about?”
It is not known at the time of this reporting whether the “Braveheart” actor — who has never spoken out in support of the former president — is a current Trump supporter.