Mel Gibson handler stops interview after Will Smith Oscars slap question

Mel Gibson’s handler twice stepped in to cut off a TV host after he asked a question about Will Smith’s Oscars slap that made the actor laugh.

A Mel Gibson interview was cut short when the actor/director was asked about Will Smith’s now-infamous slap at the Academy Awards.

“I was wondering if you had been the one that jumped up out of his seat and slapped Chris Rock, if you would’ve been treated the same way, Mel,” asked Fox News host Jesse Watters. “Have you ever thought about that?”

After slapping Rock during the show, Smith was allowed to remain at the ceremony, receive an Oscar for Best Actor and even earned a standing ovation from the crowd when he accepted it.

Watters’ question came near the end of a five-minute interview.

As Gibson laughed, a handler for the star broke in to say the interview was over.

“Um, thank you, Jesse. That is our time,” said a disembodied female voice, prompting Watters to end the interview.

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A Mel Gibson interview was cut short after a question about Will Smith's slap. Picture: Fox News

Gibson was promoting his new film “Father Stu,” which hits theatres April 13.

It comes as Netflix quietly dumped one of Smith’s films in the wake of the scandal.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has “quietly moved” the Best Actor winner’s next project, Fast and Loose, “to the back burner” in the wake of the scandal.

Fast and Loose tells the story of a crime boss (played by Smith) who loses his memory after an attack, and as he pieces together clues, realises that he had been living a double life.

Coincidentally, the movie’s director, David Leitch, had withdrawn from the project just one week before the Academy Awards, which had left Netflix scrambling to replace him.

THR now claims Netflix was “understandably wary” of moving forward following Smith’s outburst and the future of Fast and Loose is now unclear.

It’s the first production of Smith’s to be impacted by the Oscars incident, but it’s looking increasingly likely that others are set to follow.

— New York Post with news.com.au