One of Jason Momoa‘s latest Instagram posts shows his hanging out with actor Mel Gibson, and some fans were not pleased. Gibson has a history of racist, sexist and antisemitic commentary as well as alleged abusive behavior, which has caused some creators to refuse to work with him. Fans were displeased to learn that Momoa is apparently not among them.
Momoa posted three photos on Thursday in a controversial Instagram album. The first one showed him, his Game of Thrones co-star Peter Dinklage and Gibson all arm-in-arm. The second showed him and Dinklage relaxing in arm chairs, while the third was a close-up of himself and Gibson grinning together.
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Many of the top comments came from fans who were disappointed to see Momoa and Gibson together. Not only did the actor pose with Gibson, but he openly praised him in his caption, which was just too far for many fans.
But he’s an anti-Semite,” one person wrote.
“Oh, this ain’t it, buddy,” added another.
“Seriously, putting a sexist, anti semitic and racist on a pedestal?” added a third.
Gibson’s public controversies over race, religion and sex are not easily summarized, as they are so numerous and spread across decades. In 1991 he came under fire for making explicit insults against the LGBTQ community, and refused to apologize for years. At the same time, critics argued that his movie Braveheart — which he directed, co-produced and starred in — had homophobic and antisemitic undertones. Gibson finally admitted that he “shouldn’t have said” those things in 1999, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.
Another notable incident came in July of 2010, amidst Gibson’s split from Oksana Grigorieva. In a recording of a phone call, Gibson could be heard using racial slurs and suggesting that Grigorieva would suffer sexual assaults. Grigorieva got a restraining order against Gibson, keeping him away from her and their daughter.
Still, Gibson has seen a bit of a return to the spotlight in recent years, with four movies slated for release in 2020. Many movie fans with long memories are baffled by the apparent comeback. Gibson maintains that he is innocent of any wrongdoing, going back to a 2011 interview with Deadline.
“I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality – period,” he said.
