Scandals That Led To Shia LaBeouf's Massive Downfall From Fame

This article contains references to domestic abuse.

Shia LaBeouf kicked off Mardi Gras 2026 by getting into fights while spewing homophobic slurs (via The Guardian). The one-time rising star has become better known for his actions off set than the movies he is in, with a list of scandals that would sink anyone's career. LaBeouf shot to fame as the star of the Disney family sitcom "Even Stevens" before showing off his dramatic chops with the movies "Holes" and "The Battle of Shaker Heights." The young actor seemed destined for box office greatness when he was cast as the lead for "Transformers" and played Harrison Ford's son in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." 

As LaBeouf became a star, his issues with substance abuse became all too clear. The actor has long struggled with alcoholism, and has entered rehab a number of times. Born in 1986, LaBeouf's career started when he was just 10 years old, and he was in it for the money. As he explained to the Los Angeles Times, "Initially, it was financial ... I wanted opulence."

While most tragic stories about child actors center on their parents pushing them into the industry, LaBeouf claimed to do it all on his own, finding an agent in the Yellow Pages and pretending to be his own manager. Still, the results have not been all that different, as LaBeouf struggles to overcome his addictions while finding himself buried under more and more controversies.

Coming off a string of critical and box office successes, including "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" and "Disturbia," Shia LaBeouf hit the next level by starring in "Transformers," but the pressure may have started to get to him. The star openly discussed his dislike for the sequel to the Michael Bay film, telling FHM (via Page Six) "There are a lot of people that liked the second one, but I hated it."

In 2013, LaBeouf started rehearsals on the Broadway show "Orphans" opposite another famously difficult actor, Alec Baldwin. LaBeouf ended up being fired from the show with the initial reason given being "creative differences," but Baldwin later revealed that LaBeouf attacked him. The two later reconciled, but have never worked together. In 2020, LaBeouf was signed on to star in Olivia Wilde's "Don't Worry Darling," but was replaced by Harry Styles shortly after production began. While Wilde claimed that LaBeouf made co-star Florence Pugh uncomfortable and was let go, the actor said that he had quit the film and gave Variety texts from Wilde that he felt backed up his side of things. The LaBeouf/Wilde feud was quickly overshadowed by Wilde's rumored affair with Harry Styles.

LaBeouf went on to be in Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," and the documentary about the making of the film, "Megadoc," showcases how much trouble Coppola had working with LaBeouf. In the doc, LaBeouf recounts the day Coppola told him that he was "the biggest pain in my f– ass of any actor I've ever worked with."

After starting off as the goofy kid brother on "Even Stevens," Shia LaBeouf has worked to shed that persona and show people that he is an artist. The actor has created or taken part in a number of performance art pieces, including #ALLMYMOVIES, in which LaBeouf sat in a theater and watched all of his films while a camera watched him. But his work has been called into question, especially as more and more accusations of plagiarism have come up.

The first accusation came in 2013 when LaBeouf sent an apology letter to Alec Baldwin for what happened during his time on "Orphans." LaBeouf shared the letter on X (then Twitter), and people quickly realized that portions of the letter were taken verbatim from Tom Chiarella's 2009 Esquire article, "What is a Man?" Not long after that, LaBeouf's directorial debut, "Howard Cantour.com" was posted online. The short film had received critical acclaim when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, with IndieWire saying it was "a surprisingly successful movie," but it quickly became apparent to the world that the film was clearly copied from the Daniel Clowes comic, "Justin M. Damiano." 

LaBeouf later apologized on Twitter, saying that he was inspired by Clowes' story and that "Being inspired by someone else's idea to produce something new and different IS creative work." But, as Wired found, LaBeouf's apology to Clowes appeared to be plagiarized from Yahoo! Answers. In 2014, LaBeouf announced his own comic, "Daniel Boring," and was quickly hit with a cease and desist letter by Daniel Clowes' lawyer, as LaBeouf's book was clearly stealing from Clowes' "Daniel Boring."

In 2019, Shia LaBeouf wrote and starred in "Honey Boy," a movie that he said was based on his own life. He wrote the script as part of his rehabilitation program to help him deal with his anger and addiction issues, and, in the film, LaBeouf played James, who was based on his father, Jeffrey LaBeouf. The character is an abusive alcoholic, and Shia and the film received rave reviews for its honesty and his acting, holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But, years later, Shia would backtrack.

The actor opened up on Jon Bernthal's "Real Ones" podcast, revealing that his script painted a much darker picture of his father than was true, saying "My dad was so loving to me my whole life. Fractured, sure. Crooked, sure. Wonky, for sure. But never was not loving, never was not there." In the interview, LaBeouf goes on to explain that to get his father to sign off on the movie, he sent him a version of the script that didn't include the abusive scenes and knows that his depiction of his father will be how Jeffrey LaBeouf will be seen by people around the world, saying "... my dad was going to live with this certain narrative about him on a public scale for a very long time, probably the rest of his life." Any goodwill Shia gained from depicting his upbringing in such a tragic way had been washed away with this admission.

Shia LaBeouf's first arrest happened when he was just 9, when he stole a pair of Nike sneakers. Two years later, he was arrested for stealing a Pokemon game from a Kmart. The actor stayed out of trouble while making "Even Stevens," but by 2007 he was facing more serious charges. LaBeouf spent two days in jail after getting into a fight with a neighbor. Later that year, he was arrested in a Walgreens for refusing to leave the store and fighting with a security guard. In 2008 the actor was charged with a DUI after a car accident in Los Angeles. While it was determined that the accident was caused by the other driver, officers determined that LaBeouf was intoxicated and booked him. 

LaBeouf's next arrest came in 2014. LaBeouf was in the audience of "Cabaret" and began smoking and yelling at the actors. Alan Cumming, who starred in "Cabaret," told Conan that LaBeouf even grabbed him. LaBeouf pled guilty to disorderly conduct and later began treatment for alcohol abuse. Sadly, in 2015 he was arrested for public intoxication at Austin City Limits. Two years later, the "Honey Boy" star was arrested in Savannah, Georgia for public intoxication. Body cam footage of LaBeouf's arrest showed the actor going on a racially charged rant.

In 2020, LaBeouf was arrested in Los Angeles for misdemeanor battery and petty theft after getting  in an argument with a man that ended with the actor stealing the man's hat. The charges were dropped after LaBeouf completed another year-long anger management program, participated in a 12-step program, and agreed to use an alcohol monitoring device. LaBeouf was able to stay out of jail until he went to Mardi Gras in 2026.

Shia LaBeouf's issues with addiction and anger are well known, but his alleged abusive tendencies tend to go underreported. In 2015, Entertainment Weekly (via People) obtained video of LaBeouf arguing with his then girlfriend Mia Goth in Germany, saying, "I don't wanna touch you. I don't wanna be aggressive. This is the kind of s— that makes a person abusive." After getting into a car with some locals, LaBeouf continued, stating "If I'd have stayed there, I would have killed her."

In 2020, LaBeouf was sued by singer and actor FKA Twigs for sexual battery, assault, and emotional distress. The suit included allegations that LaBeouf also abused another ex, stylist Karolyn Pho. LaBeouf responded to the suit and the allegations in an email to the New York Times, saying that "many of these allegations are not true" but also stated "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." In 2022, LaBeouf spoke about the accusations on Jon Bernthal's "Real Ones," admitting that he "hurt that woman." 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).