Tragic Details About Megan Fox
This article contains discussions about eating disorders, bullying, and mental health issues.
Megan Fox seems like she has it all. Between her stunning looks, enviable wardrobe, and mega-fame, it's hard not to wish we could spend a day in her shoes. But things aren't always as glamorous as they seem in Hollywood, and that may be especially true for the "Jennifer's Body" star. Throughout her time in the spotlight, Fox has been quite vocal about her personal struggles with fame. In fact, her anxieties about being in the public eye eventually became so intense that she felt she had to step back from her career. "I was brought out and stoned and murdered at one point," she told InStyle, referring to all the bad press that had been dogpiled onto her.
For nearly a decade following said dogpile, Fox's career dimmed. To some, it may have felt as though she had vanished from Hollywood completely. Thankfully, Fox was able to return to the spotlight in full swing. The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" star made a killer comeback with starring roles in films such as "Night Teeth," "Till Death," and "Midnight in the Switchgrass," and has enjoyed a highly publicized relationship with Machine Gun Kelly. But before her significant return, Fox sadly faced a lot of trauma and pain in order to get to where she is now. These are the tragic details about Fox which further highlight her strength and triumph.
She struggled with her parent's divorce
Although Megan Fox was apparently a happy child, that status was interrupted as she grew up. She told CR Fashion Book, "At a certain point, I went through some trauma in childhood." Per GQ, things seemed to fall apart for the "Transformers" star after her father and mother divorced, leaving Fox heartbroken. As she told the outlet, she wasn't necessarily shaken by the split, however, her father was rarely in the picture so she was always going to great lengths to get his attention. Unfortunately, she claims that she never received the attentiveness that she yearned for from her old man.
Later on, her mother remarried. In a 2009 interview with Elle, Fox claimed that her stepfather was strict to the point where she was constantly being punished. She explained, "I was grounded for all of my childhood. Not most — all." According to a 2009 interview with The New York Times, Fox also suggested her stepdad was so tough that she was never allowed to have friends over. This caused her to become an outsider by nature. Still, not all of her problems were centered around her father figures. Fox claimed to the outlet that her mom didn't have much faith in her daughter's acting ambitions. "My mother never really believed that I would be successful, but I never second-guessed it at all."
Fox developed a severe eating disorder at a young age
Speaking about her childhood trauma, Megan Fox told CR Fashion Book that she developed an extreme eating disorder at a young age. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is common for people to encounter such disorders during childhood and they can often prove fatal.
Fox may have survived her illness, but it continued to impact her as an adult. Speaking to GQ in 2009, the star revealed that her urge to rebel against her public persona as Hollywood's hot girl led to a return to disordered eating. She subsequently lost 30 pounds for her leading role as a succubus cheerleader in "Jennifer's Body," and got really ill. "I was like, 'I'm losing weight for the movie,'" she explained. "I was telling myself I was being Method, which was so outrageous and ridiculous and not true. But I ended up getting sick and my hair started falling out and I was like, 'Oh, f**k. I can't do this.'"
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
The star was bullied at school
While we'd think Megan Fox would be crowned the most popular girl in school due to her charisma and beauty, it turns out she was actually bullied in her youth. According to the "New Girl" star, instead of sitting at the cool kids' table at her Christian high school, she'd spend her days eating lunch alone in a bathroom stall. "I was not, ever for a second, popular. Everyone hated me, and I was a total outcast," she told Glamour (via Digital Spy). "My friends were always guys, I have a very aggressive personality, and girls didn't like me for that. I've had only one great girlfriend my whole life." Fox's ambitions to become a Hollywood star made her a particular target, and one classmate even mockingly dressed as the star for Halloween.
The actor obviously had the last laugh when she became one of the most famous names in Hollywood. However, Fox has expressed that she has felt similarly tormented by the public. Speaking to Esquire, the actor compared the often painful scrutiny of fame to the experience of being constantly bullied by a gang of kids in high school. "Fame is that, but on a global scale, where you're being bullied by millions of people constantly," she explained.
Her mental health hit a devastating low
The negative media attention she received had a serious impact on Megan Fox's mental health. In 2009, when "Jennifer's Body" was released, the actor's mental well-being appeared to have been particularly compromised. Speaking to Allure (via Megan Fox Daily) in 2010, the star revealed her significant experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder and obsessive thinking. Stating that she'd sought professional help when her illness hit a peak, she explained, "People can't imagine what the struggle is really like when you can't let go of a thought or a word." Speaking to Cosmopolitan, she further suggested that being trailed by the paparazzi was getting to her. "I don't like being seen," she said. "I want to be invisible."
For a 2019 reunion interview with Entertainment Tonight, Fox spoke to "Jennifer's Body" screenwriter Diablo Cody about their experience making the once-maligned cult classic horror. Reflecting on that period, the actor shared that her fear of being seen and judged made her hit a breaking point. Following the film, she entered into a difficult time. "I had, I think, a genuine psychological breakdown," she explained. "I didn't want to be seen in public at all because [of] the fear, and the belief, and the absolute certainty that I was going to be mocked, or spat at, or someone was going to yell at me."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
She can feel overwhelmingly lonely
Megan Fox has always been a proud lone wolf. Whether because of her strict stepdad's socializing rules or because she'd eat her school lunch in bathroom stalls to avoid bullies, the star has been pretty much on her own since childhood. In an interview with Allure (via Megan Fox Daily), the actor even admitted that her childhood gave her an irrepressible need to be alone. "I could go days, weeks without talking to another human being," she explained. "I could probably go months and be perfectly satisfied."
For the most part, the self-proclaimed introvert says she prefers it this way. Regardless, even lone wolves can get lonely, especially if they end up isolating themselves for extended periods of time. According to Fox, being famous has surprisingly made her feel more isolated than ever before. Speaking to GQ, the star explained how she considers it extremely bizarre that everyone knows who she is, but no one really knows her true self. "There's a really overwhelming sense of loneliness," she told the outlet. "Because no one knows me yet everyone knows me. It's a really bizarre feeling. Kind of otherworldly."
Fox was sexualized at a young age in Hollywood
Michael Bay and Megan Fox have a complicated history, to say the least. Their working relationship began in 2003 when the actor starred as a scantily clad extra in Bay's action flick "Bad Boys 2." Fox reflected on the role during a 2009 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" where she divulged that she'd only just turned 15 when she donned a bikini and six-inch heels for her brief role. Because of her age, the star couldn't be depicted drinking alcohol in the club scene. The solution? Bay had her dance under a waterfall in the getup instead. "That's sort of a microcosm of how Michael Bay's mind works," Fox remarked to the late-night host. Kimmel jokingly responded, "That's really a microcosm of how all our minds work."
When the interview resurfaced in 2020 and appeared to show people laughing at Fox's experiences of being sexualized as a minor, it led to public outrage. As she told The Washington Post, the incident was sadly just business as usual during a dark time in her career. Regardless, the star took to Instagram to clarify her statements. While she greatly appreciated everyone's support, she reassured fans that she'd never experienced any form of sexual harassment or predatory behavior from Bay. In fact, as The Guardian reports, the two have gone on to work together on several projects since, including the 2014 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot and its sequel.
She couldn't fit into the Hollywood mold
It sucks when you feel like you're not able to be your most authentic self. For a lot of people, their choice of clothing can be one of the best forms of self-expression there is. Sadly, Megan Fox reportedly wasn't given that option, with the "Jonah Hex" star claiming that her management team stifled her wardrobe choices at the height of her career.
In an interview with CR Fashion Book, the star claimed that her management team suppressed her personal style in a bid for her to be taken more seriously as an actor. "They were trying to dress me more seriously," she explained. "I looked like I was always going to brunch somewhere and that did not represent me at all."
Speaking to Vogue, Fox further suggested that she'd often hate all the racks of clothes sent over as options for red carpet appearances and that some of them weren't even the right size. Since meeting Machine Gun Kelly, she has felt able to break out of the mold. "He's slightly eccentric in the way that he dresses," she told the outlet, "and that has freed me up to express myself more." The star has rocked several iconic looks since getting her groove back, including the bodacious bubblegum pink jumpsuit she sported at the 2021 iHeartRadio awards, and the show-stopping sheer goth dress she rocked at the MTV VMAs that same year.
Fox divorced longtime partner Brian Austin Green
Megan Fox started dating Brian Austin Green when she was just 18-years-old. While her ex-husband is 13 years her senior, this didn't stop the "Jennifer's Body" star from feeling an instant attraction to the "Beverly Hills 90210" actor. After six years of dating, the two finally decided to tie the knot. Just prior to their wedding, Fox gushed about her beau to US Weekly and said, "I am more in love with him now than I was in the beginning."
Despite their ups and downs, the couple remained together for 16 years — practically a lifetime by Hollywood standards. Helping that situation along may be the fact that, as Green suggested on an episode of his podcast, "...With Brian Austin Green," the two shared a strong bond based on family and friendship. "I will always love her," he professed. "And I know she will always love me, and I know as far as a family, what we have built is really cool and really special." Understandably, he added that the breakup was a difficult one for him to deal with. "She's been my best friend for 15 years and I don't want to lose that," he said.
Per US Weekly, the couple's divorce was settled in 2022, with the two sharing joint custody of their three children. In an interview with In Style, Fox suggested that the divorce emerged out of a powerful period of transition for the star.
She felt like she was mom-shamed
Sadly, Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green haven't always seen eye to eye in regards to how they co-parent their children. Per Page Six, the two appeared to get into a very public feud on Instagram, when Green shared an image of himself and their kid, Journey, in adorable Halloween costumes. While the picture may have seemed harmless, Fox had some different ideas about the deeper meaning of the snapshot. The "This is 40" star suggested that the post made Green look like a saintly father, while Fox felt she was being made to look bad. She noted that she'd also celebrated Halloween with their kids without sharing snaps of the fun online.
Per the outlet, she commented her thoughts on the since-deleted post, writing, "You're so intoxicated with feeding the pervasive narrative that I'm an absent mother, and you are the perennial, eternally dedicated dad of the year ... Why do you need the internet to echo back to you what should be inexhaustibly evident in the way your children love you?" Green quickly deleted the photo and reposted the image while cropping out Journey.
Understandably, Fox is particularly sensitive to the topic of how she's portrayed as a mother. In an emotional interview with Today, the star suggested she feels eternally judged for having a hectic career while simultaneously being a mother. "I'm supposed to not be seen and be at home with my kids," she explained
Fox has body dysmorphic disorder
It may be hard to believe that someone as gorgeous as Megan Fox struggles with her physical appearance, but by all accounts, the "Transformers" star doesn't see herself the way the rest of the world does. "I'm so painfully insecure," she told TMZ during the 2009 Golden Globes. "I'm on the verge of vomiting now."
The actor's insecurities may be difficult to fathom. However, considering just how much the actor has been defined by her physical appearance, her struggles are somewhat understandable. While there are so many complex and fascinating layers to Fox that have absolutely nothing to do with her outer beauty, her physical attributes have always been hyper-focused on by the public. In 2009, she told The New York Times, "I do live in a glass box. And I am on display for men to pay to look at me. And that bothers me."
In 2021, the star admitted to GQ that she has body dysmorphic disorder, a mental disorder characterized by a person's preoccupation with an often imagined physical defect, per Web MD. "We may look at somebody and think, 'That person's so beautiful. Their life must be so easy,'" she told GQ. "They most likely don't feel that way about themselves."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
She still feels uneasy about fame
It seems as though the media may have offered a mea culpa to Megan Fox in recent years, acknowledging how terribly she was treated at the height of her career. Sadly, it would appear that the actor still doesn't feel fully accepted by the public or that media perceptions have changed all that much. In fact, during an interview with CR Fashion Book in 2021, Fox suggested that she feels as though she continues to be publicly shamed. "I don't sit here being of the belief that everyone's ascended now to this new level of consciousness," she said of the apparent changing perspective of the media. "... That sort of archaic slut-shaming, mom-shaming, all of that still is pretty prevalent, at least for me in my experience."
In a 2021 interview with InStyle, Fox expounded on just how much the mom-shaming element upsets her. She explained to the outlet that she feels as though she can't be seen out in public without people asking where her kids are — as if she is expected to be with them every second of the day. The actor also noted the double standard that fathers are never criticized for having lives outside of their family unit in the way that mothers are. "This whole year I've been very surprised by how archaic some of the mindsets still are in some people," she explained.
She could strongly relate to Marilyn Monroe
Early on in her career, Megan Fox was renowned for looking up to the tragic figure of Marilyn Monroe. She notably even once sported a tattoo of the icon on her right arm. In a 2009 interview with Wonderland she revealed that she'd read every biography on the late Hollywood icon who struggled with mental health issues and died at 36. Tragically, Fox suggested she felt as though she could strongly relate to the internal struggles of the tragic '50s bombshell. Asked where her obsession with the starlet stemmed from, she told the outlet, "I definitely have some kind of mental problem and I haven't pinpointed what it is. I feel like I could easily go in that direction [of Monroe] and I need to know everything there is to know about it because I feel like it'll keep it from happening to me."
In 2011, the star confirmed to Amica (via Daily Mail) that she was in the process of removing her Monroe tattoo due to the legend's grave legacy. She told Esquire, "She had all the potential in the world, and it was squandered ... I'm not interested in following in those footsteps." Fortunately, Fox seems to have found a little more peace and happiness both personally and professionally since then.