As President Donald Trump selected Mel Gibson to be one of his Special Ambassadors with the purpose of promoting business in Hollywood, the actor explained why he chose to stay in California while several celebrities packed their bags.
“A lot of people have left, and I don’t blame them,” Gibson said during an appearance on “Hannity.”
“It didn’t suit them anymore. Even… people who were liberal, it didn’t suit them anymore. But if everybody leaves, what’s going to happen?”
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Mel Gibson doesn’t “blame” celebrities fleeing Hollywood but vows to “fix” as Trump’s special ambassador. (GREG NASH/POOL/AFP/ John Phillips/Getty Images)
Gibson’s comments come as Fox News host Sean Hannity shared that he left New York due to “crime… high taxes… burdensome regulations,” and has “no intention” of returning. The “Flight Risk” actor agreed that several A-listers fled for the same reasons.
Despite being on the same page as the Fox News host, Gibson vowed to work with the president in what Trump called a “very troubled” Hollywood.
“[People] are going somewhere else because it’s more cost-effective. There [are] just a lot of prohibitive regulations and things in the way that I think could be lifted… But I think it can be fixed.”
— Mel Gibson
“[People] are going somewhere else because it’s more cost-effective. There [are] just a lot of prohibitive regulations and things in the way that I think could be lifted… But I think it can be fixed.”
Last week, Trump announced that, along with Gibson, that Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone would serve as “special envoys” to Hollywood, as people start to raise questions about their role as the industry reckons with a rocky state of affairs.
Trump announced that, along with Gibson, that Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone would serve as “special envoys” to Hollywood. (Getty Images)
Gibson promised to get together with the other Hollywood ambassadors to discuss a plan and “educate” himself more on growing issues.
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While Trump returns to office as the 47th president, Gibson believed he’ll “get some results here quickly” as he slammed the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom.
As a special envoy to Hollywood, the “Brave Heart” actor aims to focus on tax incentives, as Gibson argued Newsom’s plans aren’t “working.”
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“I know Newsom gave some tax incentives, but maybe not enough because it’s still not working. There are other things that offset that,” he told Hannity.
Actor Mel Gibson tells California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ‘spend less on hair gel’ as wildfires rage through Los Angeles County. (Getty/Fox News)
“The Passion of the Christ” actor continued to explain how he had to shoot a film for one day in Los Angeles, and it was cheaper for him to travel with a whole crew, fly to Europe, “lodge them” and film for three days than to work on a movie “down the road.”
“There’s something wrong there, and I think there are solutions. I know Arnold (Schwarzenegger) tried to level the playing field years ago. He couldn’t do it because… there were obstacles. He tried, though.”
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Meanwhile, Gibson joined the long list of elite residents who have accused elected officials of mishandling the Los Angeles fires.
Gibson, who lost his home in the crisis, blasted Newsom in an exclusive interview with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo.
Gibson joined the long list of elite residents who have accused elected officials of mishandling the Los Angeles fires. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images/MEGA/GC Images)
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“Well, first I thought it was, ‘Oh gee, bad luck, tragedy.’ But then I came to realize that it was monumental mismanagement by our elected officials; and that’s the nicest thing you can say about it,” Gibson said on the debut episode of the “Arroyo Grande with Raymond Arroyo” podcast.
Although the California governor called for serious changes to happen in wildfire combat and prevention, Gibson called out Newsom’s plan.
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“You got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes, mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department, and we’re supposed to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of remake where we live? It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan. … There’s still people from the Woolsey Fire still living in trailers. … When have you ever seen the government ‘build back better’? … At the very least, it’s insensitive.”
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The massive and deadly fires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety as their homes and businesses were destroyed.
Stephanie Giang-Paunon is an Entertainment Writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.giang@fox.com and on Twitter: @SGiangPaunon.
