FKA twigs provided a distressing account of the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Shia LaBeouf in her first televised interview.
While speaking with Gayle King on CBS This Morning this week, the “Pacify Me” singer-songwriter got emotional recalling her traumatic relationship with her Honey Boy costar, whom the musician claims subjected her to sexual and physical in a civil suit filed in December 2020.
After a tearful moment during the sit-down, twigs gave a powerful response to a controversial question from King: “Nobody who’s been in this position likes this question, and I often wonder if it’s even appropriate to ask … Why didn’t you leave?”
Taking a firm stand, Twigs answered: “I think we just have to stop asking that question. I know that you’re asking it out of love, but, like, I’m just going to make a stance and say I’m not going to answer that question anymore because the question should really be to the abuser: ‘Why are you holding someone hostage with abuse?’”
She concluded, “People say, ‘Oh, it can’t have been that bad, because she would’ve left.’ And it’s like, no, because it was that bad, I couldn’t leave."
Twigs' first sit-down comes less than a week after the songbird provided a harrowing, detailed account for Elle recalling LaBeouf’s abusive behavior, alleging that the Transformers actor used “maze-like” tactics to manipulate and cause her both bodily and emotional harm.
“It’s a miracle I came out alive,” said twigs. “What I went through with my abuser is, hands down, the worst thing [I’ve experienced] in the whole of my life."
LaBeouf’s legal team has since refuted "each and every allegation" in twigs' complaint, insisting the actor "denies that [Barnett] has sustained any injury or loss by reason of any act or omission on the part of [LaBeouf], and denies that [Barnett] is entitled to any relief or damages whatsoever."
In addition to ordering twigs to pay the Disney alum's legal fees, LaBeouf’s lawyers also want twigs’ sexual battery claim thrown out, citing “none of the acts alleged were based on sex and/or the conduct was not sexual.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse please contact RAINN at (800) 656-HOPE (4673) where you'll be routed to a local sexual assault service provider in your area.
Photo: YouTube/Getty Images