Shia LaBeouf breaks silence after Mardi Gras arrest, denies drinking problem

Shia LaBeouf finally spoke up after his Mardi Gras arrest in New Orleans, and, as usual, he didn’t hold back. In a new interview, he flat-out denied having any kind of drinking problem, blamed his actions on insecurity and anger, and made some pretty eyebrow-raising comments about the LGBTQ+ community that have drawn a ton of backlash.

What happened at Mardi Gras?

For the unversed, on February 17, 2026, police arrested LaBeouf during the city’s wild celebrations after a fight outside the Royal Street Inn & R Bar. AP News reported that, according to cops, he got into a violent scuffle, punched at least one person in the face, and hurled homophobic slurs. Video from the night shows him acting aggressively, and one of the victims might’ve ended up with a busted nose.Per AP News, police charged him with two counts of misdemeanour battery.

The judge set his bail at USD 100,000, ordered him into substance abuse treatment, and made him take regular drug tests. LaBeouf also wasn’t allowed to contact anyone involved or go back to the bar where it all happened. Then, not long after, a second arrest warrant came down, connected to the same fight. This time, LaBeouf turned himself in and got out on a much lower USD 5,000 bond.

Shia LaBeouf's tell-all interview

After all that, LaBeouf sat down for a YouTube interview with Andrew Callaghan, and as the actor is known for his ‘hold-no-bars’ attitude.

LaBeouf didn’t issue a full apology; rather, he called his own behaviour “bulls***” and said he needed to deal with it, but he pushed back on the court-ordered rehab. “Does that mean I gotta go to rehab again? I’m just not into it. I don’t think my answers are there. I just don’t… If I genuinely did, I’d go.

”LaBeouf insisted alcohol wasn’t the root cause of his problems. “I don’t think I have a drinking problem,” he said. “I think I have a different problem, and I’m gonna address it… I think I have a small man complex.

I think it’s something that has to do with anger and ego more than my drinking.” He admitted he’s still figuring it out.But the most heated part of the interview came when he talked about what set him off that night. LaBeouf said, “Big gay people are scary to me,” and explained that he got uncomfortable when a group of men he thought were gay stood close and touched his leg. That fear, he said, triggered the whole incident. “When I’m like standing by myself and three gays are next to me, touching my leg, I get scared.

I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I’m that.

Yeah.”He tried to add that this only happened once and claimed, “Well, that’s why I, umm, got arrested. I am wrong for touching anyone. Ever. And that’s the end of my statement on this whole s**t.”He also pushed back on the idea that he was groped, saying he didn’t want to call it that. He then went on to double down, “I’m good with gay, [but] be gay over there, though. Don’t be gay in my lap.”LaBeouf divulged on some personal stuff. He shared that he feels this urge to react whenever someone questions his masculinity. “My dad was raped by his cousin. So, he was in my ear all the time,” he said. He’s been dealing with these issues for a long time.He also made it clear he’s "never" had a problem with gay people. “I remember paying for people’s transition surgery back when I was deep into the internet. I’ve never been against it.

I am wrong for touching anyone ever,” he said.

What’s next?

As of now, legally, People reports that LaBeouf is set to show up in a New Orleans court on March 19, 2026. The fallout from what happened during Mardi Gras isn’t over yet. The judge’s previous orders (treatment and testing) are still in place.