Any good publicist is always prepared to fall on the sword for their A-list client. Soooo, Mel Gibson’s longtime rep, Alan Nierob, said that Mel's little slip of the tongue that punctuated the end of his TV interview with a Chicago reporter yesterday was directed at HIM, not at the dastardly interrogator of a journalist. Mel however, was still facing the camera and uttered the word just seconds after giving WGN's Dean Richards a terse "bye-bye," but that's apparently neither here nor there. Alan Nierob explained he was "pulling faces" during the interview and Mel called him an "asshole" the minute he thought he was off air…

So, according to Alan Nierob, we can chalk the slip up to good-natured bro-talk or client-publicist camaraderie, if you will, rather than Mel's apparent frustration at being asked about a certain other verbal gaffe that occurred nearly four years ago! Personally, after watching the video, I have to say that I think the Chicago journo was "bating" him....trying to get a reaction. Mel was there to promote his new movie.  You'd get the same reaction from Brad Pitt if you kept bringing up Jennifer while he's trying to promote his new movie....and then you'd be banned from ever interviewing him again!