Since I questioned Radar Online’s credibility on this story, it’s only fair to write a follow-up post now that they have presented the evidence behind it.  A week ago, the gossip site said they had a recording of actor and producer Mel Gibson using the N-word in an abusive rant directed at his former girlfriend, but didn’t post it.  In today’s follow-up, people can hear what certainly sounds like the very distinctive and recognizable voice of Gibson offering, er, advice to Oksana Grigorieva:

Mel Gibson was caught on tape spewing a vile, hate-filled racist rant and RadarOnline.comhas exclusively obtained the audio proof.

We broke the story that Mel told Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his love child, “You’re an embarrassment to me. You look like a f***ing bitch in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault.” RadarOnline.com had heard the tape.

Now, in a blockbuster world exclusive, RadarOnline.com is posting the audio of Mel’s disgusting outburst. You can listen to it here.

WARNING: This audio contains graphic and racist language. It has been left unedited so that the full impact of Mel’s rant can be heard.

For obvious rea$on$, Radar isn’t allowing other sites to embed the recording, so be sure to click over to listen.  Here’s the transcript:

“You go out in public and it’s a f*cking embarrassment to me. You look like a f*cking bitch in heat. And if you get raped by a pack of ni**ers it will be  your fault. Alright? Because you provoked it. You are provocatively dressed all the time with your fake boobs that you feel you  have to show off. I don’t like it. I don’t want that woman. I don’t want  you. I don’t trust you. I don’t love you.”

In the previous post, commenters debated the use of the N-word in the context of the entertainment industry, but this isn’t a shout out to his peeps.  Assuming this is Gibson, the actor uses the term in an extremely derogatory sense, as if rape necessarily follows from skin color.  For that matter, says that rape comes from dressing provocatively, as if it’s a rational response to tight clothing, which is hardly true and perpetuates the notion that rape is a woman’s fault.  Gibson doesn’t sound noticeably intoxicated in this recording, either, unlike his anti-Semitic rant directed at a police officer during an arrest for drunk driving.

The recording does answer one question.  At the time of the initial story, many wondered why someone with so much to lose would leave a message like that on a recording device.  The tape makes it plain that Grigorieva recorded a live conversation, which may or may not run afoul of wiretapping laws.  As I recall, California is not one of the states that requires that both parties be informed of recording telephone conversations, but I’m not sure.  It may have been why Radar waited to publish the actual audio, although it’s more likely they just wanted to string out the story for a longer period.

After having heard the tape, do you think Mel Gibson’s career is over, or will this be just another celebrity scandal?

Update: If this helps make up your mind, William Morris dumped him as a client today, saying, “At this point he doesn’t seem to be in need of an agent.” Indeed.