Sia is speaking out about being “hurt emotionally” by Shia LaBeouf days after Magdalene musician FKA twigs sued the actor and accused him of abusing her during their relationship.
Sia posted a series of tweets Saturday in which the Chandelier singer alleged she was “conned” into an “adulterous relationship” with LaBeouf, whom she blasted as a “pathological liar.”
“I too have been hurt emotionally by Shia, a pathological liar, who conned me into an adulterous relationship claiming to be single,” she wrote. “I believe he’s very sick and have compassion for him AND his victims. Just know, if you love yourself- stay safe, stay away.”
The Australian singer expressed support for FKA twigs in a follow-up tweet, writing “Also I love you,” alongside a link to The New York Times article detailing FKA twigs’ abuse claims.
“This is very courageous and I’m very proud of you,” Sia added.
Sia hasn’t previously revealed that she had a romantic relationship with LaBeouf, who famously starred in the singer’s controversial 2015 music video for her smash hit “Elastic Heart.”
At the time of the video’s release, Sia was married to documentary filmmaker Erik Anders Lang, whom she divorced two years later; LaBeouf was dating British actor Mia Goth.
LaBeouf, however, raised eyebrows at the 2015 Grammy Awards when he introduced a performance of Sia’s song “Chandelier” by reading a bizarre love letter written by Sia’s then husband on stage.
Two days before Sia’s made her past relationship with LaBeouf public, FKA twigs, who was born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, sued the actor alleging sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.
FKA twigs told The New York Times in a story published Friday about the “relentless abuse” she said she suffered during their relationship. It lasted for several months between 2018 and 2019 after the two worked together on LaBeouf’s semi-autobiographical film, “Honey Boy.”
She also alleged that the actor knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease during that time, choked her in the middle of the night, threw her up against a car and threatened to crash a car they were in unless she expressed her love for him.
“What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life,” she told the Times. “I don’t think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that’s the thing. It can happen to anybody.”
In an Instagram post on Saturday, FKA twigs said she decided to speak out about her experience publicly in order to help others feel less alone.
“My second worst nightmare is being forced to share with the world that i am a survivor of domestic violence,” she wrote. “My first worst nightmare is not telling anyone and knowing that i could have helped even just one person by sharing my story.”
LaBeouf has maintained that “many of these allegations are not true” but added that he owed his accusers “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done.”
“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel,” LaBeouf wrote in one of several emailed statements to The New York Times. “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. 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.”
After years of public drunken outbursts and brushes with the law, the former child star said he’s intent on committing to “what I need to do to recover,” revealing that he’s currently in therapy and is a “sober member” of a 12-step program.
If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:
- The Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Refuge: 0808 2000 247
- In Scotland, contact Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline: 0800 027 1234
- In Northern Ireland, contact the 24 hour Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline: 0808 802 1414
- In Wales, contact the 24 hour Life Fear Free Helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
- National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 999 5428
- Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327
- Respect helpline (for anyone worried about their own behaviour): 0808 802 0321