FKA Twigs Discussed Her Abuse Allegations Against Shia LaBeouf

After their 2019 split, Twigs filed a lawsuit accusing LaBeouf of “relentless” emotional and physical abuse throughout their relationship.

By
Ellen Durney
by Ellen Durney

BuzzFeed Staff

Content Warning: This post discusses domestic abuse.

FKA Twigs made rare comments about her abuse allegations against her ex, Shia LaBeouf.

Twigs in a strapless gown with bow headpiece at an event
Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images

Twigs and LaBeouf started dating in 2018 after meeting on the set of his semi-autobiographical movie, Honey Boy. They split about a year later, and in December 2020, she filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress.

Shia and Twigs walking arm in arm
Melodie Jeng / GC Images

In the lawsuit, published first by the New York Times, Twigs alleged “relentless” abuse by the actor, including claims that he strangled her, knowingly infected her with a sexually transmitted disease, and threatened to crash a car they were both in.

Closeup of Shia on the red carpet
Rachel Luna / FilmMagic

“Shia LaBeouf hurts women. He uses them. He abuses them, both physically and mentally. He is dangerous,” Twigs alleged in the complaint.

At the time, LaBeouf claimed that many of the allegations were untrue, but said in a statement that he needed to “accept accountability for those things I have done.”

Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images for HFA

“I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years,” the statement read. “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.”

After numerous delays, the case is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in October. And now, Twigs has discussed the long-lasting impacts of abuse.

Twigs with long dark hair, wearing a chainmail top, on a red carpet
Karwai Tang / WireImage

Gracing the cover of British Vogue’s latest issue, the 36-year-old musician and actor recalled dealing with PTSD in the aftermath of her split from LaBeouf, admitting that she expected to recover sooner than she did.

Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

“I think naively I thought it would be like any other breakup,” she said, “that I’d be sad for six months to a year, and then one day I’d wake up and everything would be fine.”


“But the fact is being abused changes the whole of your nervous system,” she went on. “Because my window of tolerance is now much smaller than it used to be, my body manifests stress in quite extreme ways — it really shows me when it’s upset.”

Twigs said she’s “had to be very compassionate” with herself in recent years, emphasizing the importance of listening to her body and mind to “get better.”

FKA Twigs poses with styled hair and elegant hood on the red carpet
Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images

“Now I want to challenge myself to know more about the simple, most pure and important things: love, nature, food, a nontoxic lifestyle, my body,” she added. “The path I’m on is not the pastel pink yoga leggings aesthetic.”

Since filing the lawsuit, Twigs has discussed further details of her relationship with LaBeouf. In January 2021, she said during a podcast appearance that she felt “intimidated and controlled” by him, and worried that she’d “never be believed” if she came forward with her claims.

Her in a mesh top, skirt, and fluffy jacket posing against a floral backdrop
Dave Benett / Jed Cullen/Dave Benett / Getty Images

“I had to spend a lot of time before I could leave, just trying to gather enough of myself together so that I knew when I left, I really wouldn’t go back,” she said.

In August 2022, LaBeouf discussed the emotional and physical abuse allegations at length and confessed to making mistakes in the relationship.

Shia with a beard in a light suit at an event
Mike Marsland / Mike Marsland / WireImage

“I hurt that woman,” LaBeouf said on the Real Ones podcast. “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.”

Though he did not name Twigs in that interview, he described his accuser as a “saint” and implied that she “saved [his] fucking life” by speaking out.

Shia LaBeouf in a blue suit without a tie at "The Peanut Butter Falcon" premiere
Axelle / FilmMagic

“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,” he said. “What I think now my purpose is, is to not do… the other examples that we’ve had of how to navigate something like this — which is to go after the woman, or try to win a court case, or get back into a fucking movie or like get back on at all.”

BuzzFeed has reached out to a representative for LaBeouf for comment.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

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