Three days ago, actor Shia LaBeouf confessed in an email interview with Dazed & Confused magazine that he was raped during the #IAMSORRY performance art installation in Los Angeles last year. During the installation, the Transformers star sat quietly in a tuxedo while donning the now infamous “I Am Not Famous Anymore” brown paper bag over his face, and cried in front of the visitors.
Did any experiences stand out to you as particularly moving or unsettling?
Shia LaBeouf: One woman who came with her boyfriend, who was outside the door when this happened, whipped my legs for ten minutes and then stripped my clothing and proceeded to rape me… There were hundreds of people in line when she walked out with dishevelled hair and smudged lipstick. It was no good, not just for me but her man as well. On top of that my girl was in line to see me, because it was Valentine’s Day and I was living in the gallery for the duration of the event – we were separated for five days, no communication. So it really hurt her as well, as I guess the news of it travelled through the line. When she came in she asked for an explanation, and I couldn’t speak, so we both sat with this unexplained trauma silently. It was painful.
After the story was published, journalist Piers Morgan went on to attack LaBeouf in a series of callous tweets.
Shia LaBeouf’s claim to have been ‘raped’ is truly pathetic & demeans real rape victims. Grow up, you silly little man.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 28, 2014
A Hollywood actor sitting with a paper bag over his head who did nothing as he claims a woman ‘raped’ him has not been raped. #labeouf
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 28, 2014
People are actually defending Shia LaBeouf. The world’s gone mad. He’s invented a supposed ‘rape’ for cheap PR – utterly shameful.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 28, 2014
Once the exhibit’s collaborators — Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner — caught wind of the accusations from not only Morgan, but the public in general, both confirmed what was contrary to Morgan and other’s beliefs.
A couple of important clarifications about our #IAMSORRY project earlier this year:
— Nastja Säde Rönkkö (@NastjaRonkko) November 30, 2014
Nowhere did we state that people could do whatever they wanted to Shia during #IAMSORRY.
— Nastja Säde Rönkkö (@NastjaRonkko) November 30, 2014
As soon as we were aware of the incident starting to occur, we put a stop to it and ensured that the woman left.
— Nastja Säde Rönkkö (@NastjaRonkko) November 30, 2014
However, this wasn’t enough as the British journo went on to question (in a very patronizing style) Luke Turner about the situation.
@piersmorgan It wasn’t clear at the time precisely what had happened, & the 1st priority was to ensure everybody’s safety in the gallery…1/2
— Luke Turner (@Luke_Turner) November 30, 2014
@piersmorgan She ran out, rather than simply walking away. Beyond that, it’s not my place to comment. 2/2
— Luke Turner (@Luke_Turner) November 30, 2014
Sometimes it’s just better to stay quiet and wait for the facts instead of going on a twitter diatribe about an allegation of rape. This is the culture we live in; quick-trigger reactions are now available for the world to see, especially when you’re a public figure. Piers Morgan had zero agency to make such a claim when there wasn’t any evidence present for him to solidify this assertion. Now that people with intimate knowledge — the show’s collaborators — have confirmed LaBeouf’s story, Morgan and others with similar thoughts need to have a several seats before rushing to judgement.
