Shia LaBeouf has done it again.
True to his scandalous nature, LaBeouf made fun of and belittled his special needs Oscars
co-presenter Zack Gottsagen on live television…
Or that's how many viewers chose to interpret Shia and Zack's interaction on the Oscars
stage.
Little do they know that Shia and Zack are, in fact, good friends.
And that Shia has a reason to be forever thankful to Zack.
Luckily, Team RumourJuice is here to get the facts straight.
Was Shia's behaviour as controversial and ugly as some suggest?
Did he show his impatience for Zack to finish his lines?
What do Zack's Moms have to say about Shia?
We will know in a moment, just after you hit that subscribe button.
Thank you!
It should have been a celebration of two great achievements: the Best Live Action Short win,
and actor Zack Gottsagen becoming the first Oscar presenter with Down's Syndrome.
It started well enough.
Zack and Shia were met with a standing ovation.
Zack appeared to be nervous, but who wouldn't be?
The duo took turns saying their lines, aided by the teleprompter.
Zack was able to steel himself before the huge audience, and said his part, too.
Shia responded with a word of encouragement.
The trailers for each nominee aired, and it was time for Shia and Zach to open the legendary
envelope and announce the winner.
With a little nudge from Shia, Zach announced: "The Oscar goes to...."
LaBeouf stepped away for a moment, smiled and shook his head before reading the winner's
name out loud.
(He also mispronounced The Neighbor's Window as
The Neighbor's Widow.)
All hell broke loose.
Social media users were appalled.
They are still furious at LaBeouf for what they perceive as making fun of and mocking
his special needs partner.
"So disrespectful watching Shia LaBeouf laughing at [and] being impatient with a man with special
needs on stage at the Oscars."
Many, however, don't know that LaBeouf and Gottsagen have recently worked on a movie
together and forged a great friendship.
In Peanut Butter Falcon, Gottsagen plays Zak, a guy with Down Syndrome who lives in a retirement
home and dreams of a career in wrestling.
He becomes friends with LaBeouf's outlaw fisherman character.
They become unlikely partners and work together to make Zak's dream come true.
Peanut Butter Falcon was made on a small budget, just over $6 million.
But it went on to become a true sleeper hit, grossing about $22 million at the box office.
By the way, Zack has always wanted to become an actor.
His favourite TV show?
Even Stevens, that same Disney Channel show that helped launch his future co-star LaBeouf's
career.
And it was Zack who inspired Shia LaBeouf to get onboard with the Peanut Butter Falcon
project.
"I had never worked with anyone like him.
It felt like it was going to be a really free experience," Shia admitted in an interview.
Zack has had a noticeable impact on LaBeouf's personal life, too.
Apart from his career as an actor, LaBeouf is quite notorious for his past drug, alcohol
and legal troubles.
As he was making Peanut Butter Falcon, he had a run-in with the police for public drunkenness.
Gottsagen helped him become sober and change his ways: Zack expressed his disappointment
at the police incident, and that was it for Shia.
That is why many fans immediately jumped to defend LaBeouf against trolls attacking him
after the Oscars misunderstanding.
"Shia was so good with his costar Zack Gottsagen.
He didn't jump in too quickly to help him.
He trusted Zack, waited for him to gather himself, and let [him] do it on his own."
"Shia didn't laugh at Zack Gottsagen.
He does nothing but praise Zack every time he gets a chance."
Two more important voices weighed in on the debate.
Alma Har'el, who directed LaBeouf in his other movie, Honey Boy, pointed out that he had
only agreed to present the award if Gottsagen could co-present with him.
Finally, one of Zack's Moms, Shelley, has weighed in and asked haters to back off.
She said Shia is a wonderful person, and her son's friendship with Shia is really beautiful.
It upset Shelley that somebody would think Shia was being negative, since he has always
been nothing but supportive.
"They love each other [and] really encourage each other," Zack's Mom said in an interview.
"[Shia] did a lot with promoting [Peanut Butter Falcon], which [is] not really his thing,
but he did it for Zack."
So now that you know the context, do you think Shia LaBeouf could have belittled his dear
friend at the Oscars?