Mel's Next Move: Rehab

Mon., Jul. 31, 2006 2:30 PM PDT by Joal Ryan

Mel Gibson has retreated to rehab.

The Oscar winner, who admitted to a "horrific" alcoholic relapse that saw him arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and blasted for reputedly going on an anti-Semitic rant, was in a "program of recovery," publicist Alan Nierob confirmed to E! News on Monday.

There were no details on when or where Gibson began this "ongoing program," as Nierob described it, other than it was on an outpatient basis. Gibson has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for years.

Over the weekend, as news of Gibson's DUI arrest morphed into headlines about Gibson's "f--king Jews" comments, the actor-director surrounded himself with "medical, legal and spiritual advisers," the Los Angeles Times said.

Gibson, currently free on $5,000 bail, has a scheduled Sept. 28 court date. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Monday it may decide this week whether to file charges against the star.

In a statement Saturday, Gibson copped to drinking on Thursday night and getting behind the wheel of his 2006 Lexus sedan "when I should not have." A bottle of tequila reportedly was found in his car.

But Gibson's legal troubles may pale in comparison to his Hollywood troubles. While Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Sizemore booked jobs even as they posed for booking photos, Gibson is not likely to generate sympathy for his admitted addiction. Not if super-agent Ari Emanuel speaks for the industry.

In a column Monday on the HuffingtonPost.com, Emanuel wrote that he wished Gibson well in battling alcoholism. "But alcoholism does not excuse racism and anti-Semitism," he wrote.

Emanuel, whose clients have included Larry David and Mark Wahlberg, went onto urge his Hollywood brethren not to work with the A-lister.

Disney studio chief Oren Aviv, speaking to Slate.com, said he, for one, accepted Gibson's apology, and wished him "the very best on his path to healing."

Previously, Gibson stood accused by some Jewish leaders of embedding anti-Semitism in his 2004 Biblical epic, The Passion of the Christ. At the time, Gibson denied that either he or his film were anti-Semitic.

In the wake of his arrest-night performance, Gibson said he "said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable."

"I am deeply ashamed of everything I said, and I apologize to anyone who I have offended."

Gibson battled drug and alcohol problems for years before finding salvation in religion, he said while promoting The Passion.

"I think I just hit my knees," Gibson told ABC News in 2004. "I just said, 'Help.' You know?"