Earlier this week, a lawsuit came down the pipeline from FKA Twigs alleging her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf had abused her during the course of their relationship, which played out in just under the course of a year after the two met on the set of Honey Boy in 2018. The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court and alleges that LaBeouf was both physically and emotionally abusive during the course of the relationship. Now LaBeouf has released a statement addressing the claims.
The lawsuit from FKA Twigs, who is listed by her birth name Tahliah Debrett Barnett in the suit, mentions that Shia LaBeouf gave her an sexually transmitted disease during the course of their relationship. Other detailed allegations include the fact she says she feared for her life as he slept with a gun by their bed. She also alleges he once head-butted her in bed and, in another instance, told her he had shot and killed stray dogs in preparation for a role. Now, Shia LaBeouf has touched on his behavior in both public and private in general, noting,
I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel. I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.
Speaking to the New York Times in an email separate from the statement he made, he did tell the outlet that some of the claims that have arisen since the lawsuit was filed are not what he feels to be accurate, noting, “many of these allegations are not true.” He also said that he wants the women who he may have caused harm “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability.” He also told the outlet he is currently sober and in a 12-step program.
Lawsuits of this nature are on the rarer side in Hollywood, with the Times often noting they come in as part of larger divorce circumstances or if a person is seeking a protective order in court. FKA Twigs’ legal team wrote in her suit that she is coming forward to challenge the public’s perception of the actor, writing in the lawsuit, “For too long, LaBeouf has sought to excuse his reprehensible actions as the eccentricities of a free-thinking ‘artist.’”
Shia LaBeouf has been known for erratic behavior in the past. He was caught in public reportedly threatening his former girlfriend Mia Goth, whom he dated for four years before the two married. That marriage ultimately ended in 2018. LaBeouf has also been arrested for public intoxication and videos of those arrests have included NSFW content. He has also previously spoken out about dealing with PTSD.
In the FKA Twigs lawsuit, a second reported former partner of Shia LaBeouf’s, Karolyn Pho, is also cited as someone who suffered while dating the former Transformers actor. LaBeouf and Pho split up back in 2012. He has also been connected to other notable names, including his Transformers co-star Megan Fox, who admitted to dating him during the filming of the movies.
FKA Twigs is famous herself, with a music career that has resulted in two studio albums, LP1 in 2014 and Magdalene in 2019, though she is well-known for her high-profile former relationship with Robert Pattinson, to whom she was reportedly engaged prior to meeting Shia LaBeouf. She and LaBeouf reportedly dated from the middle of 2018 into 2019, though she spoke to InStyle about enjoying the single life by the end of that year.
