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Mel Gibson Loses Agency Representation & Maybe His Career?

by Ethan Anderton
July 9, 2010
Source: RiskyBiz

Back in 2006, the buzz around Mel Gibson was nearly unavoidable, and not in any good way. At the time, Gibson had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, only to be follow that with a mouthful of offensive, degrading, sexist and even anti-Semitic remarks to his arresting officer. Returning to the big screen earlier this year with Edge of Darkness, it seemed he was eager to get back on the good side of the public eye. However, RiskyBiz is now reporting that after his recent spat (more below), William Morris Endeavor Entertainment has decided to drop him as their client, which is not good for him or his career.

If you're unaware, around two weeks ago an audio file surfaced over at RadarOnline where Gibson can be heard yelling and threatening Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his love child. Aside from some morbidly hilarious (and apparently meme worthy) lines like "I am going to come and burn the f**king house down, but you will blow me first," Gibson can also be heard using some choice racial slurs and other graphic and vulgar insults in reference to Ms. Grigorieva which we won't write up here. In addition, Gibson is under investigation for physically assaulting Grigorieva as well. While we don't deal with any hot tabloid gossip here, it's hard to avoid when such "news" starts invading the professional side of a that celebrity's career.

Gibson was already walking on eggshells after the last 2006 incident when WME partner Ari Emanuel was extremely offended and even hostile towards the actor after his anti-Semitic remarks, but he was kept at the agency out of respect for Gibson's long-time and legendary agent Ed Limato, who sadly just passed away this past week. Limato's death doesn't have anything to do with the sudden drop as the agency apparently hasn't officially represented the actor since the William Morris/Endeavor merger. Unfortunately for Gibson, it's not just his talent representation that seems to be washing their hands of him as one studio executive said, "I'd rather get engaged to Lindsay Lohan than have anything to do with him." Ouch!

While I prefer to keep actors' personal lives separate from their careers (I didn't give two shits about Tom Cruise's tabloid presence a couple years back), this incident will undoubtedly have quite a large and negative effect on his career. This is bad news for other promising films like the Jodie Foster directed comedy The Beaver, a script that was on the 2008 Black List which has Gibson as a man who wears a beaver puppet on his hand that he treats as a real person (this could be a case of art imitating life if Gibson keeps these kind of antics up). And who knows what this will do to other pending projects like a Lethal Weapon 5 or the Viking epic that would put Gibson behind the camera again.

I'm not going to be throwing out any of his movies I happen to own or boycott his future projects, but plenty of other people, especially those in the industry, won't be so forgiving and it will take a miracle for his career to recover gracefully. If anything positive comes from all of this, maybe the reality television crowd will get some weak entertainment out of it, as there's surely some sort of E! caliber show that people would just eat up. Something along the lines of Mel Gibson: Forever Drunk (But You Will Blow Me First). The guy's a solid actor and I hate to see him throw his life away like this, but that man makes crazy blush. Your thoughts?

Filed under Movie News, Opinions

From around the web:

ryderup

Mel Gibson rocks. Maybe an awful human being in ways.. but he rocks
B Realistic

this one could drop him and that one could but his name is synonimous with Hollywood. We all bust balls and say #$%^ It makes him more human. Braveheart was awesome , Road warrior etc .. we all go that road sometimes.
akumared

For all the things that he has done with his personal life, I still love the guy. Forever Mel
Graham

I think he's finally gone over the edge of darkness.
Dave Lister, J.M.C.

Hey, Mel, it's time to dry out and stay dried out.
Jay

"We all bust balls and say #$%^,It makes him more human." Maybe you say things like this at your local Klan rally, but the rest of the world will not think this demented hatefulness makes him "more human."
Bash

Hollywood love to present a picture of a morally upstanding community when the reality is it has a prevalent dark and seedy side. Fucking hypocrites!
ives

I can't believe people are defending him. He may have been a decent person in the past (i don't know), but now he is a drunk, abusive lowlife and doesn't deserve any respect. Just because he is (or was) talented, people should not look past who he really is. Stop giving celebrities special treatment.
Traveler

Although I appreciate his past films anything he appears in after this will be tainted. Even if he did manage to find employment in the film industry after this, he's severely tarnished his image. I feel bad for his baby mama though, that just sucks.
Guy

Honestly, like hollywood has any morals or loyalty to justice. Who cares.
Roderick

#4 lol, good one. to be honest, i think tabloids blow celebrity's personal lives out of proportion. If your dirty laundry was put out there for the entire world to see/hear/ and criticize, maybe we'd think twice about judging someone else. We're all human and unless your Jesus, you've probably gotten extremely mad and said some hurtful things or done some things. "he who is without sin, cast the first stone." - some guy said this.
Jack Novelli

I don't feel sorry for him. He's filthy rich and has enough money to buy an army of therapists. He should retire from show biz and use his time and money to dry out. Life has been very good to Gibson and this is were he's at? Good looks, fame, fortune, he had it all! A very self destructive individual who is just another example of the ugly face of showbiz. He needs to get his head out of fantasy land and deal with his own reality. He seems to be looking to fulfill his role as an angry, misunderstood Greek Tragic Hero. Gibson who started his career with Mad Max will no doubt end it as Mad Mel. He's done what Richard Burton, Mickey Rourke, Burt Reynolds and so many other talented entertainers have done with their lives and that's finding solace at the bottom of a bottle. Not every actor gets a second chance like Robert Downey, Jr. and comes out of it appearing unscathed. Gibson has been trying to drown his inner demons for a life time and now he will most likely join the ranks of other has-been stars from a industry where "no good deed goes unpunished."
Mark

The man made BRAVEHEART. I'm sorry .. but I can't hate him.
Lewis Walker

As crazy as he is you have to love his films. Braveheart, Signs, Apocalypto, Lethal Weapon, The Pasision, Ransom, Mad Max.... Boycott? Never That. I look forward to more of his work as a director.
http://Iconocritic.com Peloquin

"Say what you will about Mel Gibson, but the son of a bitch knows story structure."
haHHA

LOL good. I hate Mel Gibson.
Chris H.

Tom Cruise got dropped, too. He may have had a lull in this career but seems to be on top of things now. I absolutely cannot wait for his Les Grossman movie. CAN-NOT-WAIT
hommie

heard that !! thats right they can hate whites Publicly , but whites we cant show the same love publicly...without loosing their job careers...ect, they hate up we hate them...plus nobody here want their daughter to come home with leroy..be honest
Cody w

What #13 said.
Xerxex

WHO CARES? Gibson is still a favorite of mine. as long as he does not make due on his irrational threats I'm all good.
Richard

Mel Gibson is my personal Hero.
sickdoghats

i agree with most of the things he said in 2006 and im not racist in fact im jewish most people who say he's anti semitic dont even have a single ounce of jew in them and that makes them really lame and uneducated.
Eli

He is a bit dried up but look at the up and coming stars in hollywood. Whether they be actors or writers, they suck. Gibson isn't genius but he's pretty close. Perhaps his racist comments and tomfoolery are eccentric. Still, you have to admire his work. I understand why his agency dropped him; it was bad for their publicity. I hope that he can be forgiven and I truly hope he can find it in himself to be a little more humble. You can hate him for the things he's said and done, but at the end of the day, he's just a man just as flawed as the rest of us.
Eli

*or directors
Hattori Hanzo

His movies are entertaining which to me is all that matters. I'll leave Mel Gibson's personal life to the holier than thou Oprah and the Billy Bushes of the world and their fans.
Fatty Arbuckle's Ghost

The siver lining here is that we won't see Mel in any more 'What Women Want' type movies. And that's bad because ...... ?
Sam Shadey

Ditto #25 and #26
Deathtoll 2010

I treat this with indifference. All the celebrity news, rumors and crap about their personal lives is exactly that, personal. Would we have cared if Joe Blow said all that crap in 2006? Would we have cared if some random guy told his baby momma I'm gonna burn your house down, but you're gonna blow me first? PROBABLY NOT. Does his personal life affect his acting? How about his directing? Not that I have seen. Ethan, shame on you for posting this story. It is not the least bit film related. Your attempts to make it seem like it is only amounts to far reaching speculation and is no better than what would be found in a tabloid. Basic math in Hollywood: Mel Gibson = $$$$$$$$$$$$ with or without representation from a group of over sensitive imbeciles.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Nazi Mel, I wanna get drunk with you. Ha ha. do I balls, you crazy bastard. Braveheart sent the people of Scotland back 200 years in the mental. I can never forgive you for that hatred inducing Jocksplotation violence fest of lies. Some folk are weird, yeah he's a bit of a nazi, but he's made good films, so I'm cool with that. WTF?
harv

The Edge of Darkness was a disappointing comeback for him in a leading role. It would have been better had he decided to stay on the other side of the camera and continue directing. Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ whilst deeply flawed are visually arresting and more interesting than the majority of films made today and I would like to see him progress in that field rather than try and stay as a leading man, of which he hasn't been in a good film since 1999's Payback.
JL

a movie is a movie and it shouldn't matter what the actor does on his spare time. mel is one of the best around.
http://www.firstshowing.net Susan Y

I don't think that Mel has anything to worry about. He has about a billion bucks and never has to work again.
cindy lynne

I am ashamed to think I even watched his movies he doesnt realize the impact this will cause him, nor the impact of which the Lord will have on him as well, you reap what you sow!!!!! I know if I cut up and clown the devtasting truths will come back to haunt me and hinder my efforts as my career will be impacted tremendously. I pray for his salvation! Maybe if he came to my home and my church he would see/hear/feel the presence of the Lord and realize that what he has done was wrong and ask forgiveness. I cant believe he represents Passion of the Christ. I'm sorry Mel !!! God Bless You, jville nc
Sam Shadey

#30 said he hasn't been in a good film since 1999's Payback. Got to disagree with you there. Nothing wrong with We Were Soldiers and Signs
http://Bethmahoney.com Beth Mahoney

This is truly sad what has happened to Mel Gibson in the last few years. His image was finally recovering from his last racist rant and now this comes out. I think his career is pretty much over at this point which is sad, because he was a very talented actor years ago..
Jimmy Love

Signs was a joke of a movie by a joke of a director! I say burn the jew hating Nazi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then maybe he'll come back as a Zombie Nazi, Hell they are popular now right and then we can shoot him COD style!
D

I could careless. Mel is still an amazing director, he can fund his own movies anyway.
Critique

I don't care how talented he is as an actor and director, he is a racist anti-semite who's father is a published Holocaust denier, and I can never get past that. I have boycotted his films for years. Oh, and #22, you are obviously a self-hating jew if you claim to agree with what he said in 2006. I can't imagine that any jewish person could agree with that drunken rant, and you're either an idiot or crazy to think that jews would not be offended by him. Sorry, #22, but you're the one who is lame and uneducated. Also, #33, are you not aware that Mel Gibson has claimed for years that he is a devout Catholic, who started his own Church and is so conservative that his church does not even recognize the Second Vatican Council? And how can such a devout Catholic have a child out of wedlock? Yes, all actors have their problems, drug use, and all that, but I draw the line at someone who is a disgusting racist jerk.
JimD

Too bad he makes some pretty good movies. For most of these celebrities we only see the public presentation anyway. I can only imagine whats said behind the scenes.
L

I could really care less of what he does in his personal life. I pay to watch his movies and that's what I do. (although it's sad and funny at the same time.)
DOOMzilla

#8 said earlier that he is a drunk, abusive lowlife no he's just australian.
twispious

He may be and probably is a completely disagreeable person in real life,but having seen the magnificent Apoclypto,I'm more than willing to put aside his personal waywardness...a jerk with talent,to me at least,is significantly tolerable than one without.
Critique

#41, I do hope that was a joke, because most Australians I have met have been wonderful, friendly, nice people. Gibson and Russell Crowe seem to be the exception. Exceptional jerks!
Critique

#42, your comment "a jerk with talent, is significantly tolerable than one without", is interesting, because, of course there are many people in the entertainment industry that would apply to, but when it comes to Gibson's racist hateful comments that is something I cannot tolerate.
Cornboy

just do Lethal Weapon 5...with both Riggs and Murtah making it to retirement ...after their most dangerous case.....then i'll give two shits about Gibson after that
http://alienvariety.co.uk Ben

@Ives - it's not giving 'celebrities special treatment', it's giving artists and geniuses special treatment, and they should be, because the fact is, without those people, as despicable as they can be at times, there is no point to anything. They give us highs and they give us lows, but try and imagine a life without crazy and eccentric musicians, actors, artists etc. Hell, some of the greatest legends were absolute scum, but we need them to give this life some context. So how about instead of stopping 'special treatment', you stop bunging us all together in a mash up of personalities and characters that should all be treated the same, and recognise that the simple fact is, we're not the same, we shouldn't be treated the same, and Mel Gibson should not be dropped from his agents and colleagues like an empty bottle as soon as he's lost his clean reputation and is a threat to theirs. Don't get me wrong, I despise celeb culture as much as the next respectable human being, but there's a fine line that you're not observing.
the critic

dont worry, he is worht a billion. a proven actor and movie maker. the money and stats prove it. ppl will still work for him. and ppl will still see him. and if worst comes to worst he iwll just back his own projects like george lucas and go private and keep the profits! the guy is on of the few true stars of hollywood. and i thnk that new hussy is a dumb bimbo and doesnt know whata hammer is. notice tim dalton never got all up in it in the media, hes glad the bimbo is gone
var2apo

Bullshit!! I don't care what he does, what he says, if he is beating his wife and children. I don't care who he is in real life. He is not my friend. He is a great actor and a greater director. That is all that matters.
Voice of Reason

"Say what you want, but the sonuvabitch knows storytelling"
Kamish

Follow anyone around 24/7 and record all their moments in life and you will have ugly shit on just about anyone... Mel & his baby momma were fighting and I'm sure anyone who's had a long enough relationship, and has fought, knows that when you fight with a significant other, you will at some point say the most awful things whether you mean them in your heart or not... Turth: Mel was pissed off (Yes), is he a racist?, no more than 90% of the population...saying something in anger when you don't think anyone is recording....hmmmm we could all get nailed for that! Put a microscope on anyone, and see what you find, no one is perfect...Mel ,keep on keeping on man!
harm

I care if he actually beat his girl friend. At this point its just a threat. She could have hung up the phone. Of course if she did then she wouldn't be eligible for MONEY! I really want to see Mel's Viking flick. No one in Hollywood is as creative as he has been in the last ten years in just 2 movies. Somebody said they boycott Mel because his dad was a holocaust denier? really? talk about sins of the father crap. wow.
JKnaak

I do not condone racial slurs or domestic violence. I do, however, respect Mel Gibson as an actor and a director. I just don't agree with some of his alleged personal choices. Really, Roman Polanski allegedly rapes a 13 year old girl and yet the film community (for the most part) still embraces him. IMHO, Mel Gibson is not even close to being in the same league as Polanski, but he is getting a much worse rap. Mel is a fantastic actor and director. I still embrace him and hope he starts to focus on his career (especially the Viking epic). Anyone agree?
- Hank
  
  Nope.
http://www.hotmail.com Ammo

Regardless of what "reasoning" you give for "blowing" good ole Mel right now, the matter of the fact remains that he made a fucked up comment directed towards blacks. If the shoe were on the other foot and say for instance Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Barack Obama, or Jesse Jackson made a derogatory comment about whites I guarantee there would be little love for the individual. To tolerate Mel's behavior and support his future endeavors says a lot about the individuals in his corner, i.e., they could give a flying fuck about blacks as well. Why do you think William Morris Endeavor is dropping his ass like a hot potato? Mel's history does not afford him the privilege of "blowing" off the laws of society when he feels like it.
MEL GIBSON IS A CHAMPION

Can the gossip sucking women and men get over this? Everyone has personal problems. We know Mel Gibson for his movies and talent. Not his personal life. I think the stinking media should be banned from broadcasting such material (the phone call Mel's c*nt of a wife recorded most likely illegally) It's also called entrapment. The media should stop trying to influence people and actually listen to people. 90% of comments dont care. When we stop giving a f*ck about this pity crap media, hopefully we'll stop being fed pity crap media.
Duder

Um.. I don't care I just want to see him start working on his viking movie.
sickdoghats

@ #38 when mel said the jews are responsible for all the wars in the world he was right and i would be a dumb jew bastard if i denied that and not only am i jewish but so are my parents and they also agree with mel as does a huge portion of the jewish community and we know people like you are more ignorant and hateful then he will ever be.
Lazer Bladez

When you've got that much money, you just finance your career. I dunno wat they're prattling on about,.
Chuck

This isn't a case of a normally good and moral person who made some occasional remarks. This kind of behavior and the frequent and quick use of racial slurs, misogynistic remarks, anti-semitic diatribes and constant threats of violence show that THESE are Mel Gibson's most defining traits and the "aw shucks" grin and occasional movies are just fleeting instances of Gibson repressing his true feelings in public.
Bobbi

I am sick and tired of hearing about Mel's personal life. Everyone on here has had very bad arguments with their spouse or families or others. They were not taped and put all over TV for the world to hear. Shame on the press and shame on everyone who has put their nose in his business. God hates gossip and judgement. He wants that left to Him. Mel is a great actor and who knows if any of this garbage is anything else but a taped version of his life with the woman who has taped all their conversations - wonder why she did all that? Anyone think about that!
Bobbi

Let who ever is without sin - throw the first stone. That's what I thought. Leave Mel alone all you Radaronline and ET. Let his personal life be just that, personal! Shame on all you media that continue to write about his misfortune that is trying to extort money from him. If she wasn't, why did she hold onto those tapes until he didn't pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Johnny

So he got drunk, who hasn't ? So he yelled some stuff he probably wished he could take back. Who hasn't ? He's under a microscope and if you are not a major celebrity then you have no idea what that is like. Throw your privacy out the window unless you constantly hide from the public. This guy is the greatest actor i have ever seen. His movies are the best ! I love Road Warrior, Braveheart, Payback etc. And he's very funny also ! Too bad we have to dwell on the negative. The Media sucks !
Abe

Well, as a writer with lack of insight, your opinions are highly questionable. You cannot claim as the judge and jury of this DV situation, that your statements are the truth... based on your lack of investigation and information! Your credibility is zero.