Mel Gibson’s Stepmom Claimed He Lashed Out at Her after His 93-Year-Old Dad Filed for Divorce from Her

"Braveheart" actor Mel Gibson had already achieved fame when his dad married a second wife after his mom's demise. Here are all the details concerning the actor's extensive family.

Mel Gibson first tasted fame for his portrayals in movie franchises like "Mad Max" and "Lethal Weapon." Later on, he earned acclaim as the director of "Braveheart," "The Passion of the Christ" and "Hacksaw Ridge," among others.

His achievements have cemented his role as one of the greats of Hollywood but would that be if people knew about his radical roots? Probably not. Still, a few things about this actor and his family will shock his fans. Keep reading to learn more.

HE LOST HIS FATHER IN 2020

2020 was a challenging year for everyone, and it was no different for Mel Gibson, the sixth child of Hutton and Ann Gibson. His father, Hutton Gibson, a Roman Catholic traditionalist who took every opportunity to criticize the modern church, died on May 11 in Thousand Oaks, Calif, at the age of 101.

Only the family knew about the death when it happened, as they did not publicize it. The man was notorious for his antisemitic views, but he only reached a small audience before his son became a movie star.

Of course, his almost fanatical hatred of the modern church only seemed like a stain on the actor's otherwise amazing reputation, but oddly enough, Mel had a lot of love for his father. Hence, his father's death in 2020 shook him.

HIS FEUD WITH HIS STEPMOM

Everyone loves Mel Gibson and always sing his praises — for the most part. Granted, he is now very famous; it might just be his fame and money speaking for him.

Speaking about working with the man, late actress Skye McCole Bartusiak referred to Mel as "a very nice guy" who is second in niceness only to her father.

She worked with him for about five months, and he had made her feel very welcome with his nice acts and humor — indeed, she even called him "a joker."

In 2004, Mel reportedly made an unannounced visit to the St. Joseph Home for the Aged located in Louisville, Kentucky, where he gave a screening of his controversial film "The Passion of the Christ."

The facility is run by a group of Catholic nuns called Little Sisters of the Poor, and Mel was kind enough to leave them with a check abundant in zeroes.

One of the guardians, Sister Gonzague, later spoke about her encounter with him, and she only had nice things to say. Words like "wonderful," "unassuming," "humble," and "friendly" were used in reference to him.

With all the praise, one would think Mel was an angel but his stepmom, Teddy Joye Hicks Gibson, has other opinions of him. In 2012, she requested a temporary restraining order from the court against him.

Her reason was that the actor had behaved like a "wild man" to her, and she suspected his tirades would quickly become violent.

Joye married Mel's father in 2001, but he filed for divorce, claiming that she was guilty of elderly abuse because she kept his drugs from him in a bid to avoid prolonging his suffering.

Joye was certain her ex-husband had been manipulated by Mel or his sister, Maura, because he doesn't support divorce as a catholic.

The court documents she filed described an alleged incident that happened in May 2012 when Mel reportedly got "incensed" and started acting very irrational around her.

She recalled that at some point, he had gotten too close for comfort and had been screaming so much she felt his saliva hit her face and saw the veins in his forehead stand out. According to her, the altercation had left her too shaken and nervous to sleep that night.

If that was not enough, the old woman also stated that Mel had anger management issues he needed to get help for. To this end, she requested that the court enforce a restraining order to keep Mel at least 100 yards away from her.

Joye's divorce from Hutton left her with more than $640,000 in cash and savings as separate property, and she also kept their Lincoln Town Car. The pair had tied the knot in 2002, more than a decade after Mel's mother, Anne, passed.

Mel is not perfect and has been known to make silly mistakes over the years

HIS LARGE FAMILY

Despite all of Joye's claims, many still believe the actor is almost beyond reproach, and his family certainly doesn't think he is bipolar in need of treatment.

Indeed, Mel is a considerate father who doesn't believe that parents are above reproach when it comes to handling their youngsters. The actor welcomed his first child, daughter Hannah Gibson, in 1980 while he was married to Robyn Moore, his former wife.

Following Hannah's birth, the pair had six more kids together before they parted ways in 2011 after 31 years of marriage. After their divorce was finalized, he moved on with Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva and together, they welcomed his eighth child.

The two went their separate ways in 2010, and the actor/director went on to meet his current partner, screenwriter Rosalind Ross. It's not hard to see why Mel has such a large family; the man is from a very big one himself.

He is the sixth child out of the 11 his father had before his demise in 2020. One of his siblings has been known to rise to his defense whenever he gets mauled on the Internet for his allegedly antisemitic and homophobic views.

Hutton adopted Andrew Gibson as a child after his ten kids; however, the man, who claimed the holocaust was a hoax, later rejected him as an adult after he came out as gay.

Hutton called him names and kicked him out of the family, but Mel supported him, claiming the decision was Andrew's, and since he was his brother, only acceptance could follow his coming out. This is why Andrew always sticks up for him when he is being accused of being homophobic or antisemitic.

MEL GIBSON NOW

There is no doubt about it; Mel is not perfect and has been known to make silly mistakes over the years, but then, as they say, to err is human.

Despite all that, Mel's career as a movie star and director is still going as strong as ever. Last year, he was pictured on the set of his upcoming film "On The Line."

In the movie, he portrays a radio presenter, and the film is centered on a tale he tells of a single night during which an angry caller verbally attacks him.

His involvement in the film follows his feature on "Father Stu," where he teams up with Mark Wahlberg. He also starred in "Last Looks" (2021) with stars like Morena Baccarin and Clancy Brown.

Towards the end of 2021, the talented actor was spotted around Southeastern North Carolina while a movie he stars in, "Boys of Summer," started shooting scenes in Southport.

His presence caused quite a stir in the small town, but knowing Mel, he took it all in stride. It was not his first rodeo, after all.