Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for charges of rape and sexual assault in the state of New York, will be extradited to Los Angeles to face 11 additional rape and sexual assault charges later this month. And during that trial, another notorious celebrity will be there to testify against him. Variety reported that Mel Gibson will take the stand in support of Jane Doe #3, who is Gibson’s masseuse and friend. Doe allegedly gave Weinstein a massage in 2010, after which Weinstein allegedly assaulted her.
Gibson is, of course, a strange choice to testify in the case. The Braveheart star, once one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, experienced a fall from grace after being arrested for a DUI in 2006, during which the actor delivered an anti-Semitic rant that reverberated throughout the industry. Gibson was also recorded making violent, abusive, and racist calls to his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, threatening violence. Gibson was also allegedly physically abusive in the relationship, pleading no contest when charged with misdemeanor battery of Grigorieva in 2011. But of course, no one is ever canceled forever, and Gibson soon recovered both his acting and directing career, to the disgust and confusion of many.
Gibson had previously commented on the Weinstein scandal, saying “Things got shaken up a little bit, … and there is a lot of light being thrown into places where there were shadows and that is kind of healthy. It’s painful, but I think pain is a precursor to change.”
Judge Lisa B. Lench ruled that Gibson can testify, but she won’t allow prosecutors to question Gibson about his anti-Semitism and history of racist remarks. Weinstein’s lawyer Mark Werksman argued that those issues are relevant, given that Weinstein is Jewish. Weinstein also spoke out against the anti-Semitism inherent in Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ, and published a book speaking out against the film in 2004. “Any evidence of Mr. Gibson’s racism or antisemitism would give rise to a bias against my client, who challenged him,” he said, adding “Someone with white-supremacist values might have no problem perjuring himself against a Jewish defendant.”
Many took to Twitter to question Gibson’s proposed testimony, the pot and the kettle situation, and more:
In summation, both Gibson and Weinstein are horrifying people, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire courtroom gets sucked into some sort of Beverly Hills Hellmouth.
(via Variety, featured image: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
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