Mel Gibson rant released by website

Mel Gibson is heard using a racial epithet and calling his ex-girlfriend a "whore" in a recording released by a celebrity news website Friday.

The two-minute clip is unlikely to be the last ugly words the public hears from the actor. RadarOnline.com, the celebrity website that posted the recording, says there's more where that came from.

For 10 days, the site has posted transcripts of recordings it said were secretly made by Gibson's former girlfriend, Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva. The snippet released Friday is the first audio of the confrontations to be made public.

The clip includes segments in which a voice that sounds distinctly like the Academy Award winner is heard telling Grigorieva that she is dressing too provocatively and that it would be her fault if she were raped. He uses the N-word at one point, and the recording is laced with his profanity.

Shortly after the posting, entertainment news outlets reported that Gibson had been dropped by talent agency William Morris Endeavor, although that decision appeared to have been made days earlier. The agency did not respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment.

David Perel, RadarOnline's founder, told The Associated Press that the site had heard "a substantial portion" of 30 minutes of recordings Grigorieva had made. Perel said more audio clips will likely be released in coming days.

The site reported the 40-year-old singer made the recordings because she was afraid Gibson might harm her.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating allegations that Gibson was involved in a domestic-violence incident with Grigorieva, with whom he has an eight-month-old daughter. That inquiry is expected to take several weeks before it reaches prosecutors, who will decide whether to press charges.

No comment

Gibson has released no statement about the recording, and Grigorieva's attorney, Marci Levine, did not reply to a phone message seeking comment.

It is the second high-profile incident in which Gibson has been accused of using slurs and degrading women. He apologized following a drunk-driving arrest in 2006 after it was revealed by another celebrity website, TMZ, that he had made anti-Semitic and sexist comments.

In the recording released Friday, the actor is heard criticizing Grigorieva for the way she dresses. He accuses her of lying to him about having breast implants.

It is unclear when the recording was made or in what context. It opens with Gibson discussing breast feeding of their daughter. Toward the end, Gibson indicates he is done with the relationship.

"I don't trust you," the actor is heard saying. "I don't love you. I don't want you."

Gibson and Grigorieva have been locked in a bitter custody dispute in Los Angeles.

Perel said RadarOnline has verified it is Gibson on the recording. He also said the site did not pay for the recordings and that they did not come from Grigorieva. He said the site felt it was an important story to publish, despite the disturbing content.   

"It is shocking, not only for content — which is horrific — but for tone," Perel adds. "It is one of the most vile things we have ever heard."