In his first interview since the Mardi Gras incident that led to his arrest for assault in New Orleans, actor Shia LaBeouf suggested he was provoked by gay men.

During a rambling conversation with Andrew Callaghan of independent journalism group Channel 5, LaBeouf said he rarely encounters “weirdos” in the Big Easy, but that people have different “motivations” during Mardi Gras.

“I’ll be honest with you, big gays scare me,” said LaBeouf, accused of yelling homophobic slurs while drunkenly assaulting two men outside a French Quarter bar on Feb. 17.

“When I’m alone and three gay guys are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared,” he added. “I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I am. Yes.”

Shia LaBeouf, here at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, spoke for the first time about his February arrest for assault in an interview published Saturday.
Shia LaBeouf, here at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, spoke for the first time about his February arrest for assault in an interview published Saturday.

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LaBeouf also explained that he shouldn’t have reacted so physically.

“I’m wrong to touch someone. Never. And that’s the end of my statement on all this shit,” LaBeouf said.

During a Feb. 26 hearing, Orleans Parish Criminal Court Judge Simone Levine ordered LaBeouf to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol rehabilitation, as well as weekly drug testing. He also described it as a threat to the safety of NOLA and its LGBTQ+ community.

“This defendant does not take his alcohol addiction seriously,” Levine said. “This court does not believe you understand the level of seriousness of these allegations.”

During the interview, LaBeouf said he disagreed with Levine’s assessment.

“I don’t think I have a drinking problem. I think I have a different problem and I’m going to address it. I think I have a little man complex,” the 5-foot-9 actor said. “Some sort of Napoleonic… I don’t know what it is.”

According to court records, LaBeouf was arrested again and charged with an additional count of simple assault on the same Saturday the interview was published. It is unclear if the new charge was related to the Feb. 17 fight.