Mel Gibson is facing backlash over accusations that he called Jewish actress Winona Ryder an “oven dodger,” referencing crematoriums during the Holocaust, and Jewish celebrities are weighing in.
“I’m only surprised by Mel Gibson’s ‘oven dodger’ comment because it acknowledges the Holocaust actually happened,” Seth Rogen tweeted.
I’m only surprised by Mel Gibson’s “oven dodger” comment because it acknowledges the Holocaust actually happened.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 23, 2020
In a recent interview about anti-Semitism in Hollywood with the U.K.-based Sunday Times, Ryder claimed that in 1995 Gibson made anti-Semitic comments to her at a Hollywood industry soiree. She said when Judaism came up, Gibson asked her, “You’re not an oven dodger, are you?” She had previously made the allegation in a 2010 profile with GQ.
Gibson has denied the claims. “This is 100% untrue,” his representatives said in an emailed statement to the New York Post.
In the wake of the allegations, Gibson has been let go from the upcoming remake of “Chicken Run,” reports The Wrap. Gibson was the voice of the lead, Rocky, in the 2000 animated film.
Comedian Billy Eichner weighed in on Gibson’s axing from the movie, tweeting, “Quite a headline. It took a few years but the real world has merged with Difficult People.”
Quite a headline. It took a few years but the real world has merged with Difficult People. https://t.co/oxVAT5mFxp
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 23, 2020
Ryder has pushed back against Gibson’s claims that the allegations she made against him are false.
“I believe in redemption and forgiveness and hope that Mr. Gibson has found a healthy way to deal with his demons, but I am not one of them,” Ryder told the Journal in a statement. “Around 1996, my friend Kevyn Aucoin and I were on the receiving end of his hateful words. It is a painful and vivid memory for me.”
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