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Shia LaBeouf has experienced several controversies throughout his time in the public eye.
The actor kicked off his career as a child, becoming one to watch while starring on the Disney Channel series Even Stevens. He went on to appear in films like the Transformers franchise, Honey Boy and The Peanut Butter Falcon.
LaBeouf’s legal issues and string of arrests for alcohol-related incidents started in 2014. Two years later, he discussed dealing with alcoholism and PTSD.
“Alcohol or any of that s*** will send you haywire. I can’t f*** with none of it. I’ve got to keep my head low,” he said during a September 2016 interview with Variety. “I got a Napoleonic complex. I start drinking and I feel smaller than I am, and I get louder than I should. It’s just not for me, dude.”
He was also sued by ex-girlfriend FKA twigs, who accused him of “relentless abuse” and sexual battery, in December 2020. LaBeouf claimed in a statement to The New York Times that “many of these allegations are not true” and committed to taking “accountability” for his past.
“I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism,” he continued. “I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way.”
Us Weekly broke the news in July 2025 that FKA twigs dropped the suit against LaBeouf. Less than one year later, LaBeouf’s relationship with wife Mia Goth made headlines after they quietly parted ways.
Keep scrolling to look back at the actor’s ups and downs over the years:
June 2014
LaBeouf was arrested at the Broadway show Cabaret after being disruptive and charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and criminal trespass. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, while the other charges were dropped. The following month, LaBeouf sought treatment for alcoholism.
“He understands that these recent actions are a symptom of a larger health problem and he has taken the first of many necessary steps towards recovery,” his rep shared in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. Later that year, LaBeouf was praised for his role as Boyd “Bible” Swan in the movie Fury.
October 2015
LaBeouf was arrested in Austin, Texas, and booked for misdemeanor public intoxication. He was later released from jail.
September 2016
LaBeouf revealed that he was nearly one year sober.
“I had people tell me it was going to [ruin my career],” he told Variety in an interview at the time. “People I respected — dudes I wanted to work with — just looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Life’s too short for this s***.’ I’m still earning my way back. I’m happy working.”
July 2017
LaBeouf was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, for disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and obstruction of justice. He pleaded no contest to the disorderly conduct charge and was found guilty of obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and attend therapy for anger management and substance abuse.
October 2020
The California native was charged with petty theft and battery after allegedly assaulting a man in Los Angeles earlier that year.
December 2020
LaBeouf shared a separate statement regarding FKA twigs’ lawsuit against him.
“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,” he said at the time. “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.”
March 2022
The actor confirmed that he and actress Mia Goth welcomed a daughter, Isabel, earlier that year.
August 2022
LaBeouf made headlines for an apparent feud with Olivia Wilde after the actress claimed that she had fired him from Don’t Worry Darling. (Harry Styles took over the role.)
“I am a little confused about the narrative that I was fired,” he claimed in a letter to Wilde. “You and I both know the reasons for my exit. I quit your film because your actors & I couldn’t find time to rehearse.”
LaBeouf added, “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth.”
February 2026
LaBeouf kept a low profile until it was reported that he was arrested on two counts of simple battery after an alleged physical altercation taking place in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
Hours later, news broke that LaBeouf and wife Goth had quietly parted ways one year prior with the actor moving to New Orleans following their split.
June 2026
LaBeouf pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery charges after his arrest over allegations that he struck three men at a New Orleans bar in February, according to The Guardian.
The Transformers actor received a sentence of two years probation, rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, sensitivity training and anger management classes.
LaBeouf’s attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, told the publication her client was now “looking forward to focusing on family, work and new creative projects” after a “minor bar tussle.”
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