Shia LaBeouf Acknowledges FKA Twigs’ Abuse Accusations: “I Hurt That Woman”

Shia LaBeouf’s comeback campaign has seemingly begun. His first film in two years—since the allegations actor/artist FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) made against him about mental, physical, and violent abuse—“Padre Pio” directed by Abel Ferrara, is about to premiere at Venice and LaBeouf, who has been mostly quiet ever since the accusations, is finally breaking his silence. Apart from firing back at “Don’t Worry Darling” director Olivia Wilde and the implications that he was fired from her film—he alleges he was not—LaBeouf has conducted an interview with a priest, claiming he has found religion and was suicidal after the FKA Twigs story become public. Now he’s appeared on the new podcast of his friend and fellow actor Jon Bernthal.

Bernthal has launched a new podcast called Real Ones, and his latest interview is with LaBeouf, whom he became tight with on the 2014 WWII film “Fury.” In late 2020, FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf, accusing him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress during their relationship. LaBeouf later seemingly denied all allegations made by Barnett.

But LaBeouf seemed to be less defensive on Real One’s podcast, admitting that he “hurt” Barnett.

“I hurt that woman,” LaBeouf told Bernthal during the podcast conversation. “And in the process of doing that, I hurt many other people and many other people before that woman. I was a pleasure-seeking, selfish, self-centered, dishonest, inconsiderate, fearful human being … When I think about what my life has become and what it is now, like what my purpose is now … I need to be useful. And when I look at this #MeToo environment, there’s not a whole lot of dudes that are taking accountability.” 

LaBeouf continued, admitting that he “f—ed up bad. Like crash and burn type shit. Hurt a lot of people, and I’m fully aware of that.” The actor described a “long list of people that I need to make amends to … and I’m going to owe for the rest of my life.”

LaBeouf insisted he is in a much better mental state now but confessed that he initially wanted to fire back at Barnett’s accusations. “I wanted to hit Twitter and be like, ‘Look, I got receipts,’” he said about that time period in December 2020. While LaBeouf didn’t name Barnett specifically, he described her as a “saint” who “saved my f—ing life.”

“Had she not intervened in my life and not created the avenue for me to experience ego death, I’d either have a really mediocre existence or I’d be dead in full,” LaBeouf added.

LaBeouf wrote in an email to The New York Times back in 2020 that “many of these allegations are not true.”

FKA Twigs’ attorney Bryan Freedman previously said in a statement to EW, “Shia LaBoeuf has abused Ms. Barnett, Ms. Pho [another former girlfriend who spoke of similar abuse in the original NY Times article], and others. We tried to resolve this matter privately on the condition that Mr. LaBeouf agree to receive meaningful and consistent psychological treatment. Since he was unwilling to agree to get appropriate help, Ms. Barnett filed this suit to prevent others from unknowingly suffering similar abuse by him.”

FKA Twigs’ lawsuit against LaBeouf is still pending and secured a trial date of April 2023. “The gaslighting has gone on long enough here, and it’s time to hold Shia LaBeouf accountable,” Twigs’ lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Rolling Stone, earlier this year. “My client wants a trial date.”