Mel Gibson calls for his fellow Angelenos to overthrow Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass

Oscar winner accuses political leadership of ‘incompetence’ and ‘destructive decision-making’ in handling of anti-ICE protests and wildfires earlier this year

Mel Gibson issued an astonishing call for the residents of Los Angeles to overthrow California Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass in response to the recent anti-ICE protests.

Gibson, an outspoken conservative best known for starring in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises and directing Braveheart (1995) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), issued the call during an appearance on Raymond Arroyo’s podcast, which the host then previewed on Fox News on Monday.

“Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have already proven their incompetence and poor leadership during the Los Angeles wildfires,” the actor declared with his trademark intensity.

Hollywood actor Mel Gibson calls for the public to overthrow L.A.'s political leadership in an extract from Raymond Arroyo's podcast shown on Fox News on Monday June 16 2025 (Fox News)

“Now, as we experience rampant lawlessness and civil unrest, it’s never been more clear: California is in a state of turmoil. And I ask my fellow Angelenos why Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass are still in office. How much more of their destructive decision-making masquerading as leadership are we going to tolerate?

“It’s time to take back our community and our state and put the power and the privilege in the hands of competent leaders whose goals are to protect us and the way of life this nation was founded upon and promises to offer.”

Moving swiftly to make light of Gibson’s dark pronouncement, Fox host Kayleigh McEnany, a former White House press secretary to Donald Trump, cheerily responded: “I can just hear him shouting, ‘Freedom!’ Like from Braveheart, right?”

Arroyo chuckled before launching into a rant of his own, sympathising with Gibson’s suggestion that the public should overthrow their democratically elected leaders, on the grounds that the demonstrations had inconvenienced local motorists.

“They are infuriated because… their roadways had already been impeded because of those fires,” the pundit began.

Police officers on the streets of Los Angeles last week as the anti-ICE demonstrations continue (Getty)

“Now, you’ve got parts of the 101 that go to downtown, the ramps were closed all weekend because of these protests and the LAPD sent out an alert: ‘If you need a paramedic, if you need a cop, they may not be able to get to you because we’re occupied trying to take care of these protests.’”

Arroyo continued: “This is a dereliction of duty by Karen Bass and Newsom. I mean, Newsom’s out there saying that Donald Trump, I’ll quote, ‘is an authoritarian, a threat to democracy.’

“No, lawlessness and anarchy that you’re fuelling, that is a threat to democracy. That is indeed the ultimate undermining of democracy when you can’t protect your people. And, you know Kayleigh, these protests in L.A., are now targeting specific businesses and the country as a whole.”

The duo went on to scoff at protesters’ criticisms of “American imperialism” and show footage of some of the demonstrators burning a U.S. flag before redirecting their outrage towards the new Luigi Mangione musical opening in San Francisco.