Mel Gibson to Jay Leno -- 'I've Got a Little Bit of a Temper'

Mel Gibson spoke out last night for the first time about his epic, profanity-laden, secretly-recorded rant against writer Joe Eszterhas ... and he actually had a bit of a sense of humor about the whole thing.

Gibson explained to Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" ... that Eszterhas turned in a script for "The Maccabees" to Warner Bros. that was rejected and so Gibson felt his actions were "justified."

As for the 9-page letter Eszterhas wrote to Gibson, Mel joked, "If he put half as much time and effort and creativity and imagination into a screenplay, which he was supposed to write, as he did into that letter ... we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Finally, talking about the infamous tape, Mel joked, "Maybe you don't know this about me, but I've got a little bit of a temper."

Yes, Mel ... we know.