How Margaret Qualley Really Got Together With Shia LaBeouf
The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Over the years, Shia LaBeouf has dated a myriad of celebrities. He has been romantically-linked to several women he's worked with including Carey Mulligan and Dakota Fanning. Even Megan Fox confirmed that she had a tryst with her former "Transformers" co-star while the two worked together. "I mean I would confirm that it was romantic," she said on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2018. "I love him, I have never been really quiet about that, I love him," Fox added. The "Honey Boy" star was once married to Mia Goth, but the pair called it quits in 2018, however they maintained an on-again, off-again relationship, per Us Weekly.
Controversy surrounded LaBeouf in December 2020 when ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against him, and went on the record saying that LaBeouf had assaulted her and was emotionally abusive when they dated. She called dating the actor "the worst thing I've ever been through in the whole of my life," in an interview with The New York Times. "I don't think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that's the thing. It can happen to anybody," the singer added.
Around the time that the "cellophane" artist made the accusations against LaBeouf, he was spotted packing on the PDA with Margaret Qualley, per the Daily Mail. The timing of the relationship was surprising for many fans, who did not know how the two came to date.
Shia LaBeouf and Margaret Qualley's spicy video
Margaret Qualley and Shia LaBeouf first met working together on a steamy music video in October 2020. The shoot was the visuals for Rainsford's "Love Me Like You Hate Me" — who happens to be Qualley's sister, Rainey. In the intimate 10-minute video which acts as a short film, Qualley and LaBeouf are often nude, and share a spicy sex scene while playing a couple experiencing the ups and downs of being in love. "[The] split-screen film portrays the tenderness and toxicity of a relationship, presented from the dual, and at times conflicting, perspectives of a couple," the musician told Us Weekly in a statement at the time.
To promote the release of the video, Rainsford posted a series of snaps featuring the "Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood" actor and LaBeouf from the shoot to her Instagram. "Please watch it. It's filled with love and pain and tenderness and rage and real pieces of my heart," the singer wrote in the caption.
Apparently, the passion from the project spilled over into real life, as Qualley and LaBeouf became an item shortly after filming. The pair were spotted getting cozy and holding hands while on a hike. "They got close when they filmed 'Love Me Like You Hate Me' in the early fall," a source confirmed to Page Six in December 2020, although the insider added that the two actors were not officially a couple. Even though there was chemistry on-camera, the romance between the pair did not last long.
Why Margaret Qualley ended the relationship
Less than a month after Margaret Qualley and Shia LaBeouf were romantically linked, the pair broke it off. Reportedly, the "Maid" actor received considerable blowback amid the abuse allegations levied by FKA Twigs against LaBeouf. "Margaret's friends aren't surprised that the relationship didn't last," a source told Entertainment Tonight in January 2021. "Margaret was getting a lot of hate for dating Shia due to all the abuse claims and she couldn't handle it," the insider added.
In the following months, Qualley made it clear that she sided with FKA Twigs over the LaBeouf controversy. After the "holy terrain" artist discussed her relationship with the "American Honey" actor in a cover story for Elle, Qualley posted the cover to her Instagram page in February 2021 (which has since been deleted). "It was important to me for her to know that I believe her — and it's as simple as that," the actor told Harper's Bazaar when speaking about the post in September 2021.
Not long after splitting from LaBeouf, Qualley found a more permament partner. She was reportedly engaged to musician Jack Antonoff in May, after the couple had been together for just under a year, per Us Weekly. Meanwhile, LaBeouf reconnected with his ex-wife Mia Goth, and the pair had their first child in March.