Mel Gibson dumped by talent agency
Mel Gibson has been dropped by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.
Earlier this week, the agency's Patrick Whitesell informed the actors' representatives that he would no longer be represented by the agency.
Gibson's longtime agent, Ed Limato, died July 3, and a funeral will take place in New York next week.
WME partner Ari Emanuel had previously expressed hostility toward Gibson after the actor made anti-Semitic remarks and made remarks implying skepticism about the Holocaust.
An agency source said the only reason the agency had represented Gibson in the first place was his association with Limato. "Mel was really important to Ed," an agency source said. "He was with him for 32 years and I think Ed saw him as a son." But he added, "The world knows how Ari feels and he has never changed that opinion."
Gibson's troubles have only increased in recent weeks with allegations of bigoted tirades against blacks and Latinos and reports that he is under investigation for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Several studio executives have said in the wake of these disclosures that they consider the troubled actor to untouchable in the industry. "I'd rather get engaged to Lindsay Lohan than have anything to do with him," one studio chief said.
A spokesman for Gibson said the star had always planned to do without an agent after Limato's death. He added, "At this point he doesn't seem to be in need of an agent." He said Gibson has projects lined up for the next two years. Those include starring roles in two films: "The Beaver," a dark comedy directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster, and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," that Gibson co-wrote.
News of WME dropping Gibson came to light as audio of Gibson berating Oksana Grigorieva surfaced on Radar Online.
