Shia LaBeouf allegedly used homophobic slurs against two men – one identifying as queer and another dressed in drag – before his arrest early Tuesday morning in New Orleans, according to statements from the alleged victims. The incident occurred during Mardi Gras celebrations and has sparked a conversation about accountability and safety within the entertainment industry.
Jeffrey Damnit, who was born Jeffrey Klein, told authorities he was wearing makeup when LaBeouf allegedly attacked him “while screaming, ‘You’re a fucking faggot.’” Damnit shared a cellphone video with authorities showing LaBeouf in the back of a vehicle, glancing at Damnit and repeating the slur: “Faggot.”
“Keep on calling me faggot,” Damnit is heard responding in the video.
Nathan Thomas Reed, the other man named by police as a victim, stated via text message, “I want it to be known that he was calling people faggot.” Reed identified himself as a queer man and confirmed he was also targeted with the slur.
An initial police report alleged LaBeouf was heard saying, “These faggots position me in jail,” while referencing his Catholic faith. However, that detail was later omitted from the sworn police statement filed in court, which summarized the probable cause for his arrest on two counts of misdemeanor battery.
LaBeouf, 39, was released on his own recognizance by a New Orleans judge on Tuesday afternoon, prior to the allegations of homophobic remarks becoming part of the official record, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
Representatives for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the statements from Damnit, and Reed. A police spokesperson declined to comment, stating, “This remains an ongoing investigation that has to be adjudicated in court. Should additional information become available for release, we will provide an update accordingly.”
Louisiana law allows state prosecutors to file hate crime charges in cases where victims were targeted based on “actual or perceived race, age, gender, sexual orientation,” among other categories. It remains unclear whether this law will be applied in LaBeouf’s case.
Hours after his release, LaBeouf was spotted on Bourbon Street, dancing with Mardi Gras beads around his neck and his release papers in his mouth.
“God bless you, guys – Mardi Gras is amazing,” LaBeouf told a reporter from WAFB, a news station in Baton Rouge. He added that the best part of Mardi Gras was the “interesting people” he had met.
Earlier that day, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Local time on Ash Wednesday, LaBeouf posted “Free me” on X.
Damnit, a Los Angeles resident and actor who frequently visits New Orleans, expressed concern about the safety of working with LaBeouf and called for an investigation by the Screen Actors Guild president, Sean Astin.
“At any other day job, that would happen,” Damnit said.
Kyle DeVries, president of the New Orleans Pride Center, stated the allegations came at a precarious time for the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign have documented a rise in attacks based on gender identity and sexual orientation in recent years, fueled in part by the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights and protections in several states. DeVries also pointed to the normalization of hurtful slurs as a contributing factor.
“When you have someone with celebrity status attacking communities already so under attack, it could give others permission to do the same,” DeVries said, adding that he hopes LaBeouf’s “peers in Hollywood hold him accountable” if the allegations are substantiated.
“The people who hold the levers of power and determine whether he gets hired for a role or his next project gets funded demand to demand … public change before any of that happens,” he continued.
Police allege LaBeouf became aggressive at R Bar in New Orleans’ Marigny section, near the French Quarter. Damnit said LaBeouf appeared heavily intoxicated.
Damnit, 49, provided the Guardian with multiple videos of LaBeouf confronting a bartender and shouting.
Court documents state LaBeouf attempted to punch a bar manager who was trying to remove him from the establishment. He then allegedly punched Damnit, who was assisting the bar manager, in the upper body.
LaBeouf subsequently punched Reed in the nose, despite Reed’s unwillingness to fight, according to police. A preliminary police report claimed LaBeouf repeatedly called both Damnit and Reed, 34, “faggot.”
“These faggots put me in jail – I’m a Catholic,” LaBeouf allegedly said, according to the report, which was filed over two years after he publicly received the Catholic sacrament of confirmation.
Damnit also claimed LaBeouf repeatedly threatened to kill him. Bystanders held LaBeouf down until police and paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital, discharged, and then booked with two counts of simple battery.
The arrest prompted discussion among Mardi Gras revelers. Damnit posted several videos about the incident, dismissing LaBeouf as “a tool” while also expressing a hope that “he finds the support he needs.”
“I thought you wouldn’t be allowed to party on Bourbon” after LaBeouf’s alleged behavior, Damnit said. He also expressed disappointment that LaBeouf “was in jail for less time than I slept that night.”
Michael Kennedy, a criminal defense attorney and friend of Damnit, noted that the arrest affidavit and police statement to the media did not mention the alleged homophobic slurs, despite Damnit capturing one instance on video.
Kennedy, who is gay, also said LaBeouf’s release from custody was unusually swift, particularly during Mardi Gras when official business in New Orleans typically moves slowly.
“It sends the wrong message that someone famous can approach to our celebration and terrorize other attendees” without consequence, said Kennedy. “That is unacceptable.”
LaBeouf’s arrest papers list his address as a home in New Orleans’ West Riverside neighborhood, valued at nearly $840,000, which was sold in December. Page Six reported LaBeouf moved to New Orleans to be closer to family after his split from his wife, actor and model Mia Goth.
Reports of LaBeouf engaging in unruly behavior in New Orleans leading up to Mardi Gras had surfaced in recent days, including in the Hollywood Reporter.
Five months prior to his move, LaBeouf settled a lawsuit from singer FKA twigs, which accused him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. LaBeouf denied the allegations.
He has previously discussed his struggles with sobriety, including court-mandated rehab following a 2017 arrest in Savannah, Georgia. In 2014, while facing allegations of disrupting a Broadway present in New York City, LaBeouf was accused of using the slur “fag” against a police officer.
LaBeouf’s next court hearing in New Orleans is tentatively scheduled for March 19.
Damnit contended that LaBeouf embarrassed the acting profession regardless of the outcome of the New Orleans case.
“I have a lot less credits than Shia LaBeouf,” Damnit said. “But it is embarrassing for me to have a Hollywood actor show up and embarrass the entire entertainment industry.”
