American comedian Whoopi Goldberg denied supporting Mel Gibson as the “Lethal Weapon” star faced scandal over a series of foul-mouthed and allegedly racist rants, London’s Metro newspaper reported Tuesday.
In an interview with the paper, Goldberg said she did not defend Gibson in comments made to ABC’s “The View” in July, at the height of an outcry surrounding leaked tapes of arguments between him and his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.
“All I said was that in my opinion, Mel Gibson isn’t a racist. That isn’t sticking up for him,” she said. “I know him, I’ve spent time with him, my family have spent time with him — I’d have noticed if he was a real racist. I didn’t stick up for him but I’ve met real racists and he isn’t one of them.”
The 54-year-old actress said Gibson was a “bonehead” but not racist on the U.S. talk show. She also appeared to question Grigorieva’s claim that Gibson assaulted her, saying: “If someone is kicking your behind and punching you while you’re holding your kid, you don’t go to the cops first? You go to [showbiz website] RadarOnline?”
She was later forced to clarify her comments, saying she did not condone Gibson’s behavior.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating claims Australian-raised Gibson physically and verbally abused Grigorieva, the mother of his nine-month old daughter Lucia. It is expected to present evidence to prosecutors in two weeks.