Mel Gibson's uncomfortable reaction to a question posed by Fox News reporter Jesse Watters regarding Will Smith left audiences wondering what on Earth was about to come out of his mouth before he was interrupted by his handler.
Gibson's rocky reputation for saying antisemitic, misogynist and racist comments can lead one to only imagine his response.
Watters asked the actor and filmmaker:
“I was wondering if you had been the one that jumped up out of his seat and slapped Chris Rock if you would’ve been treated the same way, Mel?"
You can watch Gibson's reaction to the question below.
After making a sequence of painful faces, Gibson's publicist interrupted him before an answer could be muttered.
She said:
“Hello, Jessie?"
"Thank you. That’s our time.”
Watters, clearly realizing he was soliciting a controversial take, encouraged Gibson to answer the question anyway. The handler swooped in again concluding the interview.
Gibson appeared on the Watters' show Saturday to discuss and plug Father Stu, his new movie starring actor Mark Wahlberg. When things took an unexpected turn at the end of the interview, those watching couldn't help but wonder why the Braveheart actor reacted the way he did.
One person commented:
"Fox News is going to ask every White actor if he would have been treated differently if he did what Will Smith did."
"They don't even pretend anymore."
Others said Watters' question was inappropriate.
Others agreed Watters' question was "uncool:"
"I'd say pretty uncool of [Jesse Watters] to do that to Mel Gibson."
"Mel was there to talk about his movie, not get put on the spot about the Oscars fiasco which he clearly wanted no part of."
"Jesse just lost a lot of future interviews with that move. No one will trust him."
Some thought the topic was flagged and Gibson shook the question off having been told not to answer, hence why the handler jumped in.
One person Tweeted:
"I bet Mel’s people set limits on the questions Watters could ask and the Oscars were off limits."
"Watters went ahead anyway."
"That’s why Mel does the finger wag & his publicist jumps in."
Viewers are left to question what happened during Saturday's interview.
Whatever happened, almost everyone can agree about one thing.
It was cringe.
