Margaret Qualley has finally made a (subtle) comment on the abuse allegations against Shia LaBeouf.
Let’s start with this: nobody owns Shia’s bad behavior but Shia, and any blame for his actions lies with him and him alone. Further, Margaret didn’t owe anyone a comment or explanation on this situation, which is undoubtedly deeply personal and complicated. For now, the 26-year-old is keeping things close to the vest, and it’s totally her right to do so. But she did make a subtle statement that spoke volumes, directly addressing Shia’s accuser, FKA twigs.
Related: More Scary Details Of Twigs’s Relationship With Shia
On Saturday, the young actress reposted twigs’s Elle cover on her Instagram. Within that issue, the singer had detailed more of the physical, emotional, and psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of the Disney alum, accusations about which she first came forward in December 2020. Margaret shared the stunning photo of the Brit artist’s face with the simple caption:
“Thank you.”
The IG post was met with heart-emoji reactions from the likes of Natalie Portman, Phoebe Tonkin, Maggie Rogers, Riley Keough, and more. Her mom Andie MacDowell also commented her support, writing:
“Precious girls
Beloved”
The Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star’s involvement with the actor was controversial, because they went public with their relationship after the abuse allegations were on the record. And by public, we mean super public because less than two weeks after the explosive New York Times article, Shia and Margaret seemed to be making out anywhere a camera could catch them. Some fans were understandably disappointed as she appeared to be actively participating in rehabbing the controversial star’s image with the paparazzi-friendly PDA.
But let’s take it back to twigs’s own words in the Elle profile. She, too, was aware of Shia’s history of legal trouble; when she began dating him, there was even evidence on public record that he might be violent towards women. (The Transformers star was caught on camera in 2015 making violent threats towards then-girlfriend Mia Goth.) Early in their relationship, the cellophane singer considered him “a tortured person who was going through a divorce” and was trying to be “sensitive” to his recovery from addiction.
Related: Olivia Wilde Fought With Shia Over Nude Music Video That SHE Secretly Directed!
We don’t know when exactly Margaret and Shia started dating, but they apparently met while filming a music video for the Emmy nominee’s sister, Rainsford, which was released in October. We’re making assumptions here, but we’d guess that the older artist used the same alleged tactics with Margaret that he did with twigs to explain away his troubled past. By the time the allegations came out and the new couple went on their PDA spree, she may very well have been subjected to “lovebombing,” a classic abuser tactic at which twigs has described Shia as an expert. In fact, twigs told Elle that many of the hallmarks of an abusive relationship were present “in the first month” of their relationship.
We don’t know all that happened between Margaret and Shia, but we do know she dropped him in January, allegedly because she didn’t want the backlash against him to interfere with her career, per E! News. Whatever the case, we’re glad she got away, and hope that anyone who has suffered because of Shia’s actions finds peace and healing.
[Image via Derrick Salters/WENN/Avalon]
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