Richard Gere slammed by host after committing ‘obscene’ act on live ‘family show’

Richard Gere found himself in hot water recently after doing an 'obscene gesture' on live television.

Gere, 75, is currently promoting his new TV series The Agency and featured on Today on Wednesday (November 20) to discuss it.

Host Savannah Guthrie interviewed the esteemed actor in the segment, which was introduced by showing a clip of the new Showtime series.

As the camera then panned back to Guthrie and Gere in the studio, the Pretty Woman star was seen flipping his middle finger.

Covering up his gesture with her notes, Guthrie told off Gere, saying: "You just did an obscene gesture on this family morning show!"

She went on to share that Cher dropped an 'F-bomb' on the show the day prior, adding: "I don’t know what’s happening!"

But Gere went on to defend his offensive gesture.

Speaking about where the final clip played of The Agency that was shown to Today viewers, the 75-year-old said: "You didn’t show but that’s what I did in the piece. That's what the clip was!"

Guthrie said they 'cut out that part' on purpose, but Gere argued that it 'didn't make any sense' without the finger flipping-moment.

Going on to speak about flipping the bird there and then, the actor joked: "My hand did that, I have no control."

While Gere was there the promote The Agency (which premieres on November 29), there's an older movie of his that people have been talking about in recent months - Hachi: A Dog's Tale.

Released 15 years ago, the tear-jerking movie dropped on Netflix back in 2022 and people are still raving about it to this day.

The 2009 film's synopsis reads: "Young Ronnie reveals to his classmates that his personal hero is a dog named Hachi.

"Ribbed by his fellow pupils, Ronnie goes on to tell the remarkable story of his grandfather's friendship with the dog."

The film had been dubbed an 'emotional masterpiece' by fans as they urged others to have tissues on hand if they plan on watching it.

One reviewer said of Hachi: A Dog's Tale: "The loyalty that a dog has to its owner compares to no other, I love this film. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time."

"What an excellent movie made me cry so much," said another.

"I don't remember any other movie that makes you cry for so long," echoed a third.

"An undisputed emotional masterpiece," they added.