Conservative actor and director Mel Gibson went completely nuclear on the woke governor of California, Gavin Newsom, slamming Newsom’s response to the Los Angeles-based anti-ICE protests that broke out on June 6 and calling back to the poor leadership demonstrated by the governor and LA Mayor Karen Bass during the Los Angeles wildfires.
For context, in a video shared on social media on June 16, 2025, Mel Gibson, one of the most well-known names in the entertainment industry, called out California’s leftist leaders for their lax response to the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests that began in Los Angeles in early June. In the video, Gibson, a Los Angeles resident himself, asked his fellow Angelinos how much longer Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass should be allowed to carry out their “destructive” leadership practices.
In the video, Gibson began by calling attention to the abysmal response from Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass to the wildfires that broke out in Los Angeles in January 2025, which raged from January 7-31, saying, “Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have already proven their incompetence and poor leadership during the Los Angeles Wildfires.”
Continuing, Gibson told his viewers that it was clear that Los Angeles was in the midst of “rampant lawlessness and civil unrest” as a result of the protests, adding, “It’s never been more clear: California’s in a state of turmoil. And I ask my fellow Angelinos, why are Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass still in office? How much more of their destructive decision-making masquerading as leadership[ are we going to tolerate?”
Next, Gibson admonished his fellow California residents to speak out against the state’s corrupt leadership, saying, “It’s time to take back our community and our state and put the power and the privilege in the hands of competent leaders whose goals are to protect us and the way of life this nation was founded upon and promises to offer. That’s all.”
Importantly, Gibson’s viral video came just a few months after President Trump announced on January 16, 2025, on Truth Social that he had selected Gibson, Jon Voight, and Sylvester Stallone to serve as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, which he described as “a very troubled place.”
Moreover, the president said that Voight, Gibson, and Stallone would be his “special envoys for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” The president continued, “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
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Following President Trump’s announcement, Gibson made it clear in a statement to Variety Magazine that he had not been notified beforehand, saying, “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.” He added, “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Watch Gibson’s viral video:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video