Actor Mel Gibson Joins Newsom Recall Movement, Signs Recall Petition

Earlier this week, two-time Academy Award winner Mel Gibson joined the recall movement against California Governor Gavin Newsom, signing him in support as one of the first big names calling for his recall.

Several recall efforts have been mounted against Newsom since he was sworn in as Governor in 2019. The most successful attempt to date came in 2021, where organizers collected enough signatures to place the recall on the ballot. However, Newsom managed to defeat the recall in September of that year.

While recall attempts since then fizzled out, a new attempt this year rapidly gained steam in the past month because of the Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles wildfires. Mismanagement of the fires by Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass exposed their actions to an international audience, with many in California turning against them. A recall effort against Newsom was already in the works for later this year, based on other issues including crime, homelessness, the cost of living, increased drug use, and high business costs.

But with wildfire mismanagement now the main issue working against Newsom, Saving California moved their timeline up, leading to their initial announcement last month in Los Angeles. Enough signatures were gathered for the intent to recall, leading to Newsom being served of the intent late last month. Signature gathering to put his name on the ballot was then started this month, with between 1.2 million and 1.3 million signatures being needed to put the issue on the ballot.

During this time, Gibson was rising in political prominence. While Gibson did not vote for Trump in 2016, he did so in 2024, saying in an interview that Kamala Harris “had the I.Q. of a fence post.” Because of his support, Trump then named Gibson as one of his three special ambassadors to Hollywood last month, along with fellow actors Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voigt. In his new position, Gibson was charged by Trump to help bring back movie productions back to the United States and that Trump would act on their suggestions.

Gibson then became even more politically charged during the wildfires. After losing his home in Malibu to the Palisades Fire, Gibson directly blamed both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for how fierce the fire got.

“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,” said Gibson last month in a Fox News interview. “As a citizen here, Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to reimagine the city, our city, and how they think it should be. I mean, look at what they’ve done so far to this town. It looks like Dresden after the bombing down here.

“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.

“Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to re-imagine the city, our city… look at what they’ve done so far to this town, you know. It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan.”

With Gibson now both a leading voice against Newsom and an envoy of President Trump, support for the recall against Newsom grew likely. Finally, earlier this week, Gibson came out as the first celebrity to sign the recall petition, publicly in front of cameras.

“Mel Gibson Joins the Recall!,”  Saving California posted on X this week.  “Saving California Board of Directors, caught up with Mel Gibson, and he’s ALL IN to recall Gavin Newsom.”

Following Gibson’s signing on Monday, many have now also called on him to run for Governor, either as a replacement for Newson in a successful recall or next year during the state gubernatorial election.

“There’s actually a lot of excitement over a possible Gibson run,” said Zachary Dell, a Washington-based election consultant who focuses on celebrities and athletes running for public office, to the Globe on Thursday. “I’ve heard back from a few pollsters in California and people have been asking about him running now, which to be honest was both out of nowhere but also sort of building up to it.

“Just with a preliminary look at him, I mean, he is still very well known. That would work for him. He’s never been elected before, but he’s been active in politics. This envoy position gives him at least some appointment to build off of. And, if Harris runs, the GOP is going to need a big name of their own to compete. Gibson could fit that.

“And let’s not forget California’s rich history of celebrity politicians. Two actors have become Governor, both Republicans. Even more, many celebrities have run in California, including Clint Eastwood and Sonny Bono, because they were pushed into running for office because the government screwed them over. And then won. Gibson fits those bills.

“But then there is the negatives. I’ll push aside all the Hollywood celebrity problems as I don’t want to keep you here forever. But Gibson has switched back and forth a lot in the past 30 years politically, making both the Clinton and the second Bush administration angry at him over his views. And there was also his antisemitic rant he made on camera. It took him years to get back into the good graces of Hollywood after that one, and even then, it is almost a disqualifier to run for any office.

“Speculation like this is fun, but down to brass tacks. It is unlikely. But him being one of the most outspoken celebrities against Newsom and the fires, paired with this earlier support he has shown for the recall, makes him still pretty important right now on the political stage.”