FKA Twigs has accused her ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of sexual assault, battery, and domestic violence in a lawsuit that was made public on Friday. And later in the day she released a statement about the events, saying she made the difficult decision to come forward in order to help make other survivors feel heard.
The singer detailed LaBeouf’s alleged 2019 “relentless abuse” in an interview with the New York Times on Friday. She revealed that LaBeouf threatened to purposefully cause a car crash, left visible bruises on her body, and knowingly infected her with an STI. Her accounts of LaBeouf’s abuse were corroborated by Karolyn Pho, one of LaBeouf’s previous girlfriends.
After the New York Times interview was published, FKA Twigs shared a statement detailing why she chose to come forward:
“it may be surprising to you to learn that i was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. it was hard for me to process too, during and after i never thought something like this would happen to me. which is why i have decided it’s important for me to talk about it and try to help people understand that when you are under the coercive control of an abuser or in an intimate partner violent relationship leaving doesn’t feel like a safe or achievable option.
i hope that by sharing my experience i can truly help others feel like they are not alone and shed some light on how those who are worried somebody they care about may be in an abusive relationship can help because i understand it can be confusing and hard to know what to do.”
The singer also shared some resources for others currently experiencing domestic violence. She highlighted the non-profit organizations FreeFrom, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the Sistah Space project.
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The New York Times also reached out to LaBeouf about the story, who admitted to “alcoholism” and “aggression” and issued an apology in a statement.
“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel,” LaBeouf said. “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.”
Read FKA Twigs’ full statement above.
