Shia LaBeouf previously made some rather telling comments about parenting his daughter with his now-estranged wife Mia Goth. As the actor was arrested in New Orleans on Tuesday, it was revealed that he is now separated from the actress, with whom he shares three-year-old Isabel.
Shia, 39, welcomed his daughter with 32-year-old Mia - from whom he is understood to have split a year ago - in 2022. In August of that year, he spoke to Jon Bernthal on the Real Ones podcast about how he was finding fatherhood.
The star - who was charged with two counts of battery after allegedly punching two men at bars during Mardi Gras celebrations - said: "She’s the most dynamic spark of life and the most magical [thing]. It's a game-changer. Out of this newfound discovery of real love in my life [comes] this kid."
However, Shia admitted there had been challenges. "No one tells you about the first three weeks," he said. "When you're changing a diaper and... then she [expletive] again ... and it's three in the morning ... and you're looking at your kid and thinking, how am I going to get through this?"
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesHe continued: "And you put the fourth diaper on and she doesn't [expletive]... it feels like a miracle, it feels like God is hugging you." He added: "She's forcing me to give up on me, which is what I need."
Referencing his prior public struggles in the same conversation, Shia added: "It feels like some kind of weird reset button. I know that I'm never going to be the dude that I was in front of [my daughter]. ... It's almost like having the ultimate parole officer. I need somebody to keep me accountable."
On-off marriage
Shia and Mia have had a tumultuous relationship. They made their first public appearance in 2014 before marrying in 2016, and there was a divorce filing in 2018 before they ended up back together and started a family.
© Getty ImagesHowever, as news of Shia's arrest in New Orleans broke, it was revealed that the couple are no longer together. Indeed, according to Page Six, they quietly split a year ago but it is unclear if either party has filed for divorce.
Shia briefly spoke about Mia in the 2022 podcast interview. "My kid is so [expletive] joyful," he said. "She's raised in complete love, and my wife is such a good mother. She's a part of a new purpose that I didn't have [before]."
