Mel Gibson recently praised his longtime friend and 'Air America' co-star Robert Downey Jr. in a cover story for Esquire magazine. Gibson commended Downey for his bold, generous, and kind gesture of urging Hollywood to forgive Gibson after his controversial 2006 arrest, during which he made disparaging remarks about Jewish people. Gibson candidly admitted that his career took a hit following the incident, leading to him being essentially blacklisted in Hollywood.
Gibson recounted a pivotal moment at the 2011 American Cinematheque Awards ceremony when Downey, who is Jewish himself, used his acceptance speech to advocate for Gibson's redemption. Downey appealed to the industry to grant Gibson a second chance, drawing parallels to his own struggles with legal issues in the late 1990s that had once made him a pariah in Hollywood.
