Mel Gibson is glad that the tide is turning in regards to sexual harassment and sexual abuse in Hollywood.
While promoting his newest film "Daddy's Home 2," Mel was asked by The Guardian how he felt about Hollywood's far-reaching sexual misconduct scandal that has essentially taken down the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis CK and others.
"Things got shaken up a little bit and there is a lot of light being thrown into places where there were shadows and that is kind of healthy," he said. "It's painful, but I think pain is a precursor to change."
Mel has notoriously been accused of bad behavior before. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge against his former girlfriend and mother of his child, Oksana Grigorieva. In 2006, he famously went on an anti-semantic rant against a police officer while being arrested for driving under the influence.
The actor and Oscar-winning director spoke about that fateful night last year.
"It was an unfortunate incident. I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime," he told Variety. "And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of – we'll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I'm not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever."
On Nov. 21, the current sexual misconduct scandal continued to domino, as veteran journalist Charlie Rose was fired by CBS and PBS amid sexual harassment accusations. Late last week, media mogul Ryan Seacrest was also accused of sexual misconduct by his former stylist at E! News. Ryan has adamantly denied the accusations, calling them "reckless."
TMZ reported that the woman, via her lawyer, allegedly asked the "American Idol" host for $15 million to stay quiet and not go to the media.