NEWSShia LaBeouf Blames Mardi Gras Arrest on His Fear of the LGBTQ+ Community: 'Big Gay People Are Scary to Me'
Shia LaBeouf gave his take on the LGBTQ+ community, blaming them for his recent Mardi Gras bar fight arrest.
Feb. 28 2026, Published 4:55 p.m. ET
Shia LaBeouf explained in his first interview since his wild Mardi Gras arrest that the LGBTQ community "scares" him.
The former Disney Channel star, 39, was arrested on February 17 and charged with two counts of simple battery after he engaged in a bar fight while celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Shia LaBeouf Shared His Thoughts on LGBTQ+ Individuals
Shia LaBeouf was arrested after getting into a bar fight on February 17.
“I’ll be honest with you, big g-- people are scary to me,” he told Andrew Callaghan’s Channel 5 show on February 28 in a new interview.
“When I’m like standing by myself and three g--- are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared. I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I’m that. Yeah," the Even Stevens alum added.
The former child actor said he's 'good with gay.'
He said the incident “happened one time."
“I am wrong for touching anyone. Ever. And that’s the end of my statement on this whole s----,” he said. “I’m good with g--, [but] be g-- over there, though. Don’t be g-- in my lap.”
“That’s why. I was drunk, and it’s Mardi Gras. So, everything I’m saying is nonsense,” the Transformers actor clarified.
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Shia LaBeouf Says He Doesn't Have a Drinking Problem
Shia LaBeouf insists he doesn't have alcohol abuse issues.
LaBeouf continued to insist that he has "never had no problem with g-- people."
"Never. I remember paying for people’s transition surgery when I was f------- around on the internet heavy. I’ve never been adversarial towards it,” he recalled.
LaBeouf went on to reveal that while he doesn't think he has a "drinking problem."
"I think I have a different problem and I’m gonna address it,” he said. “I think I have a small man complex.”
The Judge Ordered the Actor to Complete a Drug Rehab Program
Shia LaBeouf partied hard in New Orleans for Mardi Gras earlier this month.
“I think it’s something that has to do with anger and ego more so than my drinking," he confessed.
At the time of his arrest, video footage showed LaBeouf shouting inappropriate g-- slurs at the male individual he was fighting with. The clip also featured the Honey Boy filmmaker throwing punches and head-butting the man.
After he was taken into custody, he was released hours later and headed back to partying. The reformed Catholic then attended mass the next day on Ash Wednesday.
On February 26, LaBeouf appeared in court, where the judge ordered him to complete a rehabilitation program, submit to a drug test and pay a $100,000 bond. The New Orleans Police Department then issued another arrest warrant for him on Friday.
