Shia LaBeouf is currently surrounded by “yes men” while his “public game is slipping,” or at least that’s the assessment of Man Down writer Adam G. Simon.
LaBeouf, 39, played U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer in the Dito Montiel-directed Man Down, written by Simon. The film was released in the U.S. in December 2016, marking LaBeouf’s second project helmed by Montiel, who also wrote and directed 2006’s A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
In an X post shared on Tuesday (March 3), Simon, whose credits also include 2019’s Netflix thriller Point Blank, gave his take on LaBeouf’s recent New Orleans arrest and subsequent interview with Andrew Callaghan for Channel 5.
Simon’s remarks, seen in full down below, were spurred by a moment in LaBeouf’s Channel 5 interview in which he appeared to agree with the argument that the interview could serve as a response to anyone who expressed concern for him in light of the arrest.
“When you have to explain yourself, it’s exhausting and it’s emptying,” LaBeouf told Callaghan. “So I’d just like to get it out of the way, just bang-bang-bang.”
Simon opened his response by directly addressing this moment.
“Napoleonic complex? You’re close, it’s called clinical narcissism,” Simon wrote on X. “Your pain is the center of the universe. Your trauma is the only one that matters. Any dissenting voices get blocked out or pushed out. You got no challenge in your inner circle. All you have are yes men. Your PR game is slick but the performing in public game is slipping. Public interviewer wanting a trending come-up gets a call from Shia to play PR clean-up. It works every time.”
Simon didn’t let up from there, reflecting on the ability some have to manipulate “public opinion” using fame and describing LaBeouf as “a master” at this.
“You have been running it and those close to you through it for decades,” Simon said. “When the shit hits the fan, there is no one that can Houdini, ‘just do it,’ their way out of a blast radius like you can. Always on time. Always perfectly executed.”
As Simon sees it, there’s no shortage of people angling to “plant their personal flag of allegiance on a soundbite” in connection with whatever LaBeouf is going through at any given time.
“To all of you in his immediate circle that are enabling this—fans, podcasters, and I will include his publicist and legal team—fuck you,” Simon added.
While the Man Down writer had strong words for those in LaBeouf’s inner circle, as well as for the actor himself, he also expressed a willingness to directly address all of this with his past collaborator and linked his thoughts to his own sobriety journey.
“To my brother, I love you and the next time I see you, I’m seeing you,” he said. “May God grant that I or someone else who actually gives a fuck is able to do that before the world memes you into a grave as they coddle your alcoholic-fueled trajectory aimed at Marianas Trench-level depths.”
LaBeouf is facing charges of simple battery in connection with an alleged Mardi Gras altercation. The Transformers franchise alum recently received some words of support, and slight critiicsm, from Chet Hanks.