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Shia LaBeouf appears to be in need of support from a close ally.
Friends are encouraging Mel Gibson to intervene and assist his troubled protégé, 39, before things spiral further out of control, according to an insider speaking to In Touch.
LaBeouf, who has battled publicly with alcohol issues, was arrested and charged with two counts of simple battery after an alleged altercation during Mardi Gras in New Orleans in the early hours of Tuesday, February 17.
“Shia is incredibly headstrong, but if there’s one person he truly listens to and respects without question, it’s Mel,” the insider reveals. “He idolizes him and considers Mel the father figure he never had.”
In 2025, the former Disney star shared that Gibson, now 70, played a crucial role in his journey to sobriety. “He was there for me when I was at my lowest,” LaBeouf told The Hollywood Reporter. “He really stepped up for me in significant ways.”
The Braveheart actor is prepared to once again.
“He wants to take Shia aside and shake some sense into him, and that’s exactly what he intends to do when he gets the chance,” says the source. “Mel’s confident he can relate to Shia, persuade him to go back to church and plough his energy into more positive things instead of humiliating himself in a drunken haze.”
However, “getting that face time before Shia does irreparable damage is the big challenge right now,” In Touch’s source admits. “He’s on a real self-destructive tear and nobody — not even Mel — can currently get through to him.”