Shia LaBeouf and Hollywood talent agency CAA have parted ways, as the actor is currently receiving inpatient care, Variety has learned exclusively. The news follows a lawsuit filed in December by his ex-girlfriend, actor and musician FKA Twigs, who has accused LaBeouf of physical abuse during their relationship.
Since then, LaBeouf has been accused of emotional abuse by multiple women, and a pattern of his behavior has been well-documented over the years, while he has continued to work in the entertainment business.
CAA has not fired LaBeouf, two people familiar with the matter tell Variety, explaining that the actor made the decision to take a break from acting, so that he could solely focus on his recovery and get the help he has admitted he needs. CAA is not working with LaBeouf, at this time, and has not been working with him for roughly one month.
CAA did not respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
LaBeouf has been receiving treatment for over five weeks, a source says, and the actor is currently living at an inpatient facility. His release will be dependent on his recovery.
A representative for LaBeouf declined to comment for this story.
It’s unclear what specific type of treatment LaBeouf is receiving. However, when LaBeouf responded to the sexual battery lawsuit late last year, he admitted to his alcoholism and aggression, stating he has been abusive to those around him for years.
“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel,” LaBeouf said in December in response to allegations of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress. “I have a history of hurting the people closest to me,” he added. “I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”
The turn of events for LaBeouf is different than the industry’s handling of recent claims against Marilyn Manson, who was dropped by CAA after Evan Rachel Wood accused him of abuse, and Armie Hammer, who was fired by WME as allegations from multiple women continue to swirl about the actor on social media.
LaBeouf has a history of legal issues, arrests, problematic behavior and past stints in rehab for alcohol addiction.
Prior to the lawsuit, in which FKA Twigs and another former girlfriend, stylist Karolyn Pho, both accused LaBeouf of physical abuse, LaBeouf was caught on camera during a heated altercation in 2015 where he nearly turned violent with his on-and-off girlfriend, actor Mia Goth, saying, “If I’d have stayed there, I would have killed her.”
The latest lawsuit states that LaBeouf is a danger to women. The lawsuit holds the industry accountable for ignoring his past behavior, which has been well-documented in the news.
“Shia LaBeouf hurts women,” the lawsuit states. “He uses them. He abuses them, both physically and mentally. He is dangerous.”
The lawsuit laid out a slew of horrific allegations from FKA Twigs and another one of LaBeouf’s former girlfriends, stylist Karolyn Pho, who says LaBeouf drunkenly pinned her to a bed and head-butted her hard enough to draw blood. FKA Twigs said in the lawsuit that on one occasion, she was woken up by LaBeouf towering over her, violently squeezing her arms against her will and choking her, according to the lawsuit. On other occasion, she alleges he became manic while driving, and when she tried to get out of the car, he threatened to crash, then briefly stopped at a gas station where he violently attacked her, throwing her against the car, screaming in her face and attempting to strangle her. The lawsuit also claims LaBeouf knowingly infected her with an STD.
Aside from the serious allegations of abuse, Variety also heard from multiple sources that LaBeouf was difficult on sets, as his poor behavior and style clashed with the cast and crew of a recent film that he was fired from by director Olivia Wilde.
Following the lawsuit, Netflix also scrubbed LaBeouf’s name from its Oscars campaign this awards season for the film “Pieces of a Woman,” in which he is the male lead. LaBeouf — who rose to fame on Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens” and the megahit “Transformers” franchise — does not have any other upcoming projects in the works.
A person close to LaBeouf says that the actor is taking the time to step back from his career to take care of himself and get the care that he needs.
While LaBeouf’s representatives did not respond to this story, his attorney, Shawn Holley, told Variety in Dec. 2020, “Shia needs help and he knows that. We are actively seeking the kind of meaningful, intensive, long-term inpatient treatment that he desperately needs.”
An attorney for FKA Twigs and Pho previously told Variety that before filing a lawsuit, the women tried to resolve the matter privately “on the condition that Mr. LaBeouf agree to receive meaningful and consistent psychological treatment.” The women also asked LaBeouf to make a donation to a domestic violence shelter. “Since he was unwilling to agree to get appropriate help,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, FKA Twigs “filed this suit to prevent others from unknowingly suffering similar abuse by him.”
Variety has reached out to FKA Twigs and Pho for comment, in response to the news that LaBeouf has been receiving inpatient treatment. (We will update this story, should we hear back from the two women or their attorney.)