Shia LaBeouf has responded to a lawsuit filed against him by ex-partner FKA Twigs. The actress/singer, who met the former Transformers star when they worked together on 2019 indie drama Honey Boy, was in a relationship with LaBeouf for a year and has recently shared serious allegations against him, accusing him of sexual battery, assault and other troubling behavior.
FKA Twigs – real name: Tahliah Debrett Barnett – alleges that LaBeouf was emotionally and physically abusive during the length of their relationship. She accuses the actor of giving her a sexually transmitted disease as well as leaving her fearing for her life as he slept with a gun by their bed. One alleged incident of physical abuse saw him headbutt her and what’s more, LaBeouf apparently once told her that he shot and killed stray dogs in preparation for a role.
The actor has now reacted to these allegations in a statement, in which he freely admits that he has “a history of hurting the people closest” to him, saying:
“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.”
Though this appears to be a clear admission of guilt, LaBeouf spoke to The New York Times separately from his statement and remarked that certain claims in the lawsuit are not factual, saying “many of these allegations are not true.” However, he wishes for the women he harmed to have “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability.” LaBeouf also told NYT that he’s currently sober and is in a 12-step program.
Barnett noted in her lawsuit that she’s not the only one of Shia LaBeouf‘s partners who’s been treated wrongly, with stylist Karolyn Pho also name-checked as being abused by the actor. As she wrote: “For too long, LaBeouf has sought to excuse his reprehensible actions as the eccentricities of a free-thinking ‘artist.’” Her complaint was filed at the Los Angeles Supreme Court this past Friday.
