Mel Gibson DUI incident

Mel Gibson's mugshot from his 28 July 2006 arrest for DUI

Mel Gibson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol after being stopped for speeding (87 mph/140 km/h in a 45 mph/72 km/h zone) on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on July 28, 2006, at 2:36am PDT. A breathalyzer test measured Gibson’s blood-alcohol level as "0.12%" (the state's legal limit is 0.08%), and next to him was an open container of Tequila, which was three-quarters full. Gibson was described by the arresting officer James Mee as co-operative until arrested, at which point he became belligerent and experienced mood swings. While handcuffed in the car, Gibson made antisemitic remarks to Mee, who is Jewish, saying "Fucking Jews...the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson was released on bail at 9 am PDT. TMZ broke the story of Gibson's arrest for DUI on July 28 at 7 pm PDT and later that night posted photocopies of an unofficial arrest report. The next day Gibson confessed to driving under the influence and to "despicable" behavior during his arrest and a frenzy of media coverage followed.

Arrest

On the 28 July 2006, Mel Gibson was arrested while driving a 2006 Lexus LS 430 on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California and charged with driving under the influence at 87 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone. He was stopped by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who administered a breath test measuring his blood alcohol content as being 0.12%, 1.5 times the legal limit of 0.08%. During the arrest, he was uncooperative and made anti-Semitic remarks to the arresting officers. His bail was set at $5,000 and he was released.

Later that evening, a four-page portion of an allegedly redacted or suppressed police report was posted on the entertainment website TMZ.com. (The report was subsequently posted online at Slate.com.) The report is purported to be part an original written by the arresting officer, Deputy James Mee, before he was allegedly instructed by his superiors to omit details about Gibson's anti-Semitic comments and abusive behavior. The leaked police report indicates that Gibson asked one officer if he was Jewish and stated, "Fucking Jews...the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." The report further alleges that Gibson refused to be transported to the police station and had to be restrained. According to the report, Gibson's blood alcohol content was measured at 0.12% (the legal blood alcohol level limit for driving in California is 0.08%). TMZ also reported allegations that were not found in the four-page police report, including that Gibson continued his tirade at the police station, where he was videotaped asking a female officer, "What are you looking at, sugartits?" and that he attempted to urinate on the floor. TMZ later alleged that Gibson has been stopped twice before in Malibu for reckless driving but was released without a citation. and in 2010, TMZ's Harvey Levin said that Gibson's first statement to the arresting officer was about his wife.

Confession and general apology

Gibson responded to the TMZ.com report on July 29, 2006 by admitting to "belligerent behavior" and "despicable" remarks, and he apologized to the sheriff's deputies and everyone else he offended:

"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said and I apologize to anyone who I have offended. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Gibson's publicist announced that Gibson entered an out-patient addiction recovery program leading to criticism that he had not entered a residential program. An unnamed source from Gibson's inner circle claimed that Gibson was on the verge of suicide the night of his arrest and was experiencing blackouts. Mainstream media coverage of the Gibson’s alleged behavior during the DUI arrest began soon after the release of his apology to the Sheriff’s deputies, and it was featured on the front page of several tabloids, including The New York Post; many of these carried headlines along the lines of "Mad Mel" (a reference to Gibson's Mad Max film). Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League issued a press release stating that Gibson's apology (with no explicit acknowledgment of anti-semitic remarks) was "unremorseful and insufficient" and that the ADL hoped "that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."

Apology to the Jewish community

Gibson released a second statement on August 1, 2006 specifically apologizing for anti-Semitic remarks and asking to meet with leaders of the Jewish community to affect healing.

"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

"I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

"The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God's child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

"I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

"I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery.

"Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed.

"This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognizing the consequences hurtful words can have. It's about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad."

After this statement, Abraham Foxman accepted his apology on behalf of the ADL, and Holocaust survivor Flory Van Beek extended her forgiveness.

Allegation of remark to female officer and subsequent denial

In its June 28, 2006 story, TMZ.com reported that Gibson asked an unidentified female sergeant at the station, "What are you looking at, sugar tits?", citing an unnamed law enforcement source. However, this allegation was not found in the accompanying report by arresting officer James Mee. In his 2006 interview with Diane Sawyer, Gibson remained silent after Sawyer read the alleged "sugar tits" quotation, while Gibson responded saying "that came out of my mouth," after hearing the quotation "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." In a 2009 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Kimmel told Gibson, "In my opinion the word sugartits is the greatest new word in the decade." Gibson replied that the term was falsely attributed to him and that "sugar tits" was a regular expression used by the arresting officer. Gibson added that he wished he had coined "sugar tits" because it is funny. The next day, TMZ.com reported the Gibson denial and did not defend their original story.

Response

Media coverage

In the summer of 2006, Mel Gibson's arrest and his subsequent apologies sparked a flurry of media reporting and commentary at a time when the major news story was the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, in its 17th day at the time of the DUI incident. Media figures debated the appropriate response to Gibson's alleged remarks and whether those remarks proved bigotry. Some members of the media expressed dismay that the coverage of Gibson's DUI arrest had become excessive.

Commentators offered differing opinions on the effects of alcohol and the disease of alcoholism in relation to remarks made while intoxicated. On the MSNBC program Scarborough Country, show producer Mike Yarvitz drank to raise his blood alcohol level to 0.12, matching Gibson's level in the report. Yarvitz emphasized "not feeling anti-Semitic" after drinking. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson wrote, "Well, I'm sorry about his relapse, but I just don't buy the idea that a little tequila, or even a lot of tequila, can somehow turn an unbiased person into a raging anti-Semite - or a racist, or a homophobe, or a bigot of any kind, for that matter. Alcohol removes inhibitions, allowing all kinds of opinions to escape uncensored. But you can't blame alcohol for forming and nurturing those opinions in the first place." John Derbyshire, a critic of The Passion of the Christ, wrote in the National Review, "As little as I care for Mel and his splatter-fest Brit-hating oeuvre, though, I care even less for the schoolmarmish, prissy, squealing, skirt-clutching, sissified, feminized, pansified, preening moral vanity of the vile and anti-human Political Correctness cult." He went on to write, "The guy was drunk, for heaven's sake. We all say and do dumb things when we are drunk. If I were to be judged on my drunken escapades and follies, I should be utterly excluded from polite society, and so would you, unless you are some kind of saint." David Horowitz on the August 1 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes said "People deserve compassion when they're in this kind of trouble. I think it would be very ungracious for people to deny it to him." Radio host Michael Medved, a strong supporter of The Passion of the Christ, expressed humiliation at Gibson's anti-Semitic rant and condemned it. Nevertheless, Medved suggested reconciliation between the Jewish community and Gibson was preferable to shunning Gibson.

The media also sought out the opinions of medical specialists on whether alcohol released a person’s true feelings. According to addiction psychologist G. Alan Marlatt, "Alcohol is not a truth serum…It may or may not indicate his true feelings." Addiction psychiatrist Bryon Adinoff stated "Clearly, Jews are on his mind. He made The Passion of the Christ, and many reacted negatively to how Jews were depicted. Now we have a war going on in the Middle East. It's something that's on his mind, or it probably wouldn't come out when he had some alcohol.” According to psychologist William Iacono, the remarks attributed to Gibson "could reflect pent-up frustration and anger at how his life has changed since he made the movie. People can lash out when they're drunk, and we don't know how deeply they believe what they're saying." Addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky also disagreed with the notion of alcohol as a "truth serum", saying "even when they are mildly intoxicated, if somebody is truly an addict...the thinking associated with addiction is profoundly affected."

Some commentors asserted that the media coverage of Gibson's DUI arrest was unbalanced or excessive. Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby noted the large disparity in media coverage between the Gibson DUI arrest and a more serious anti-Semitic incident that occurred on the same day, the deadly Seattle Jewish Federation shooting.

A Fox News poll reported on August 11, 2006, that a large number of Americans would not allow the incident to affect their decision about whether to watch Gibson's future movies, reporting "eight out of 10 people say his arrest and negative comments about Jewish people will not make a difference to them," while 10% "probably" and 6% "definitely" would not attend Gibson's future movies.

Hollywood and celebrity reactions

The public reaction from Hollywood was mixed and muted, with a few critics denouncing Gibson in the press and Gibson’s friends and co-workers supporting him. After the incident, ABC canceled a planned television mini-series about Holocaust survivor Flory Van Beek to be produced by Gibson's Icon Productions, citing lack of progress.

Some Hollywood agents weighed in on Gibson’s arrest, sparking further public debate. Jeff Berg, head of ICM, the talent agency that has represented Gibson for 18 years, told the Los Angeles Times that Gibson had called him after the arrest and that Berg "was trying to communicate the actor's remorse to his staff and clients." Berg told the paper that "I hate what he said, and so does he" and that "his remarks have created a first class mess, and he has owned up to it." On July 30, 2006, Endeavor Agency founder Ari Emanuel wrote an open letter to the Hollywood community to blacklist ICM-represented Mel Gibson. Emanuel blogged on the Huffington Post, "People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line." This letter inspired a number of responses. In an August 2 blog on Huffington Post, Harry Shearer criticized the hypocrisy of Hollywood agents "lecturing us about there being more important things than money," writing that while he is not defending Mel Gibson, "to be absolutely honest, in my slight dealings with him, I've found him more pleasant and less upsetting than certain persons on the other side of this discussion." On August 4, Gavin de Becker wrote an open letter to Ari Emanuel in the Hollywood Reporter to chide him for exploiting Gibson's situation to inflame political sentiment. He also wrote, "After thirty years of predicting intent through assessing words and context, I can tell you if we start taking the things people say when very drunk or very high or very angry as their enduring truth, we're all going to have to reassess many relationships… A list of people who can't work in this town based on what someone assumes they believe - didn't Hollywood already suffer that experience?" Radio personality Howard Stern called Gibson "a filthy anti-Semite" and was critical of The Passion Of The Christ though he admitted to loving Apocalypto on DVD.

A few other celebrities expressed opinions on Mel Gibson after his DUI arrest. Comedian Bill Maher wrote that while he thinks that Gibson fights within himself against anti-Semitism, "he'll never win as long as he's so religious, because, I hate to tell you, the disease isn't alcholism [sic], the disease is religion." Maher also argued that the whole world is like Gibson (harboring latent anti-Semitism) when it comes to Israel and its war with Lebanon. On August 3, Rob Schneider took out a full-page ad in Variety to send an open letter to the Hollywood community, pledging as "a ½ Jew" to "never work with Mel Gibson-actor-director-producer and anti-Semite." He further wrote that "even if Mr. Gibson offered me a lead role in 'Passion of the Christ 2', I, like Bernie Brillstein, would have to say 'No!'" Schneider also used the ad mention his upcoming directorial debut, Big Stan, writing that he would not even cast Gibson in the part of a Nazi gang leader "which apparently Mel would be PERRR-FECT for." In 2008, Schneider described his ad as "a comedic, satirical view of how I saw the situation with Mel Gibson, and also the hypocrisy of show business when they're all standing in line to say what a bad person he is when they're all a bunch of hypocritical assholes." Rob Reiner said that Gibson’s apology for his drunken remarks was not enough and that he needed to apologize for The Passion of the Christ, saying “his work reflects anti-Semitism.” During an interview with Celebrity Week in October 2006, Joan Rivers said that Mel Gibson "is an anti-Semitic son of a bitch. He should fucking die!”

Several close friends and associates in Hollywood have come out to publicly defend Gibson, including Patrick Swayze, Jodie Foster and M. Night Shyamalan. Producer Dean Devlin described Gibson as "one of his best friends in Hollywood" and said that Gibson had spent the afternoon before the DUI arrest at Devlin's home. Concerning Gibson’s alcoholism, Devlin remarked, "I have been with Mel when he has fallen off, and he becomes a completely different person. It is pretty horrifying." Noting that he and his wife are Jewish, Devlin said, "If Mel is an anti-Semite, then he spends a lot of time with us, which makes no sense." Robert Downey Jr, who is Jewish on his father's side and has publicly defended Gibson during the controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ, argued Gibson was "caught in the act of being an imperfect human being." Jodie Foster has bristled at accusations in the media that Gibson used alcoholism to dodge charges of racism, saying "This is a man who almost died. He's not some guy who went to rehab because he got a traffic ticket." Director Richard Donner, who has worked with Gibson in six films and is Jewish, said that he had never heard him say anything anti-Semitic and that "in all of us there are seeds that have been implanted by others. He’s crying out for help."

Charge, plea and sentencing

On August 2, 2006, Mel Gibson was formally charged with misdemeanor drunken driving, setting an arraignment date of September 28. On August 18, 2006, Gibson's attorney, on his client's behalf, entered a plea of no contest to one count of driving while having a blood alcohol content higher than .08. The other charges were dropped. Judge Lawrence Mira sentenced Gibson to three years probation, 4½ months of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 5 times a week, followed by 7½ months of meetings 3 times a week. Gibson also volunteered to do public-service announcements on the hazards of drinking and driving, and to immediately enter rehabilitation. He was also ordered to enroll in an alcohol-abuse program for three months, fined a total of $1,300 and had his license restricted for 90 days. At a May 2007 progress hearing, Judge Mira praised Gibson for complying with the terms of his probation, saying, "I know his extensive participation in a self-help program - and I should note he has done extensive work, beyond which was required." On October 6, 2009, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira approved an expungement for Gibson after he completed his probation sentence of three years.

Aftermath

Diane Sawyer interview with Gibson

On October 13, 2006, Gibson told Diane Sawyer that he was "ashamed" of his remarks, and that while his initial attitude was that they were just "the stupid ramblings of a drunkard," he came to realize that his words had actually frightened people. Gibson stated that 3 concerns may have led to his remarks: 1) the 2006 war in Lebanon which was in its 17th day 2) the general level of escalating violence in the Middle East as relating to Israel 3) those Jewish individuals who gave him a "brutal sort of public beating" over the making of The Passion of the Christ where he never heard a "single word of apology". When questioned about the influence of his father, Holocaust denier Hutton Gibson, Gibson stated:

We're talking about me right now. And me taking responsibility for my words and actions. And … I'm certainly not going to use him, to sort of put anything off of me. It isn't the explanation for what happened that night. It isn't. It has nothing to do with it. … That's in my own heart.

Change to California law

As a result of the circumstances surrounding Gibson’s arrest, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, proposed legislation ("Mel's Law") that would criminalize the sale of privileged information pertaining to the arrests of high-profile suspects. The lawmaker argued that Mel Gibson's due process rights were violated by the unauthorized leak of prejudicial allegations before he had received due process. Bill AB920 was approved unanimously by both the California state assembly in May 2007 and the state senate in September 2007, and the bill was signed into law by the governor in October 2007

Investigation into allegations of special treatment

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's civilian oversight Office of Independent Review opened an investigation into whether Gibson received special treatment due to his celebrity status and examine how the officer's internal report was leaked to TMZ.com. Watchdog lawyer Michael Gennaco said an initial probe showed sheriffs did not give Gibson favorable treatment. The Office of Independent Review considered how the arrest of celebrities highlighted the issue of privacy rights of individuals versus the public's interest in arrests by deputies. In the case of Gibson's arrest, their annual report examined the allegations that the Department had improperly sought to keep his alleged inflammatory statements from review by altering the original police report. The investigation concluded that the unit commander had acted appropriately in placing the remarks attributed to Gibson in a supplemental report for the District Attorney’s office, and that his decision was not suggested or influenced by his superiors. The OIR found that the standard release protocol was not followed with Gibson because he was not required to give his palm print or sign a statement promising to appear in court. Furthermore, his supervisors were found to have violated department policy in driving Gibson to the tow yard without consulting the watch commander. The same investigation looked into alleged lack of professionalism at the station for non-essential employees entering the holding area to view Gibson while he was in custody. The investigation did not produce sufficient evidence to establish these charges.

Investigation of leak and lawsuit by James Mee

Arresting Officer James Mee was the target of the LASD investigation of the leak to TMZ, and the prosecutor who reviewed the case found that only three sheriff’s employees had access to the information by the time it was released, including a sergeant and lieutenant who oversaw Mee’s reports on the arrest. Records obtained by investigators showed that there were calls between Mee’s residence and TMZ’s founder, Harvey Levin, but that it was impossible to say who made the calls on Mee’s end of the line. No improper payments to Mee, his wife or daughter were found. In 2009, prosecutors declined to press charges against Mee for illegally leaking the Gibson arrest report to TMZ, citing lack of proof. On September 7, 2010, arresting officer James Mee sued the county of Los Angeles for religious discrimination and retaliation, citing that the plaintiff was "personally humiliated and has become mentally upset, distressed and aggravated" and seeking general damages for emotional distress and mental suffering and claiming losses including "loss of income, benefits and medical expenses," attorney's fees and cost of the suit.

Satire

• Chevy Chase starred in the Law & Order episode "In Vino Veritas" that aired November 3, 2006 in which he used Gibson's expression "sugar tits" as well as anti-Semitic slurs that were much more extreme than Gibson's.
• In the South Park episode "Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy", Kindergarten teacher Ms. Stephenson explains her sexual relationship with Kyle's three-year-old brother Ike by saying, "I'm an alcoholic." Cartman responds, "Oh,crap! She's using the Mel Gibson defense!" In the episode "D-Yikes!", the phrase "Was I talking to you, sugar tits?!" was used by Mrs. Garrison. Gibson is also mentioned many times by Cartman several times in the series, as he looks up to him as a role model. He also was made fun of in the episode "The Passion of the Jew", where there is a big controversy in the episode over his film "The Passion of the Christ".
• Saturday Night Live aired a parody of the movie trailer for Apocalypto with a reference to Gibson's quotes on "sugar tits" and Jews.
• Gibson's apology was parodied in the Family Guy episode "Prick Up Your Ears," when Peter said he'd be more convincing than the aforementioned apology which addressed such stereotypes as big noses, greed, etc.
• The unrated version of the 2007 parody film Epic Movie featured a "Mel Gibson lookalike" (played by Gregory Jbara), apparently jailed for DUI, calling "Edward" (played by Kal Penn) "sugar tits."
• Shortly after the incident occurred, Heavy.com hosted a "Dress-Up Mel Gibson" page created by Normal Bob Smith to dress Gibson up in a variety of controversial outfits.
• In the episode "Release The Dogs" from the comedy Two and a Half Men (which is set in Malibu) a policeman who has just arrested Alan Harper remarks, "At least this clown didn't ask if I was Jewish."
• MAD magazine included in one issue a Meldalini page which spoofed Gibson with an alternative cover and a first draft of his apology along with others.
• On the start of the Season 3 of Mind of Mencia, Carlos Mencia did a re-enactment of this incident.
• In the Simpsons episode called, "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind," Krusty states that he did a "Mel Gibson."
• A rejected Pearls Before Swine comic strip made a reference to that incident, where Pig tried to offer a welcome basket filled with fruit and bagels to "that guy who moved in across the street". Rat said he heard he's "some famous guy trying to get away from Hollywood". When Pig met the neighbor, the neighbor said almost exactly what Mel said to the policemen that pulled him over. When Pig got home, he said "No more bagels for that guy". The strip was rejected because United Feature Syndicate said it could cause real problems, thus, Stephan Pastis pulled that strip off at the last minute. The rejected strip can be seen on page 258 of the Pearls Before Swine book The Crass Menagerie as part of the bonus The Not Ready For Prime Time Comic Strips section.
• The Paul and Storm song "Too Friggin' Hot" on their 2006 album News to Us refers to the episode.
• At the 2009 Spike Guys' Choice Awards Mel Gibson presented the Guy Hall of Fame induction of Fight Club. When Brad Pitt arrived at the podium he thanked Gibson with the phrase "Thanks, sugar tits!"