Embattled actor Shia LaBeouf may not be making the best decisions during his ongoing, headline-grabbing stay in the Big Easy, but he certainly made a good one last night: A pair of posts on his Twitter (X) account indicate that he spent the evening attending one of the New Orleans music scene’s most reliable weekly residencies, funk legend George Porter Jr.‘s Monday night gig at The Maple Leaf Bar.
LaBeouf posted a photo of him and Porter, the bassist for The Meters largely credited with authoring the groove of New Orleans funk music, outside the Maple Leaf with the caption, “Nola legend … George Porter Jr.” LaBeouf also shared a video of the performance by Porter and his Runnin’ Pardners—guitarist Chris Adkins, keyboardist Mike Lemmler, and drummer Terrence Houston on drums—featuring a number of odd zooms and closeups that give the clip an appropriately unhinged feel.
Why is “unhinged” appropriate, you might ask? In case you’ve missed this beat, Shia LaBeouf has been, uh, making his presence known around New Orleans since last week’s Mardi Gras festivities.
In the days leading up to Mardi Gras, reports began to circulate about a solitary Shia LaBeouf popping up at various bars around the city, which famously cultivates a widespread party atmosphere during the extended holiday. Accounts of these LaBeouf sightings have ranged in severity from amusing to wholesome to belligerent. Various bar owners reported that they had to ask him to leave. Others have simply reported the sort of over-the-top behavior frequently observed throughout the celebratory week.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Shia LaBeouf was arrested and charged with two counts of simple battery outside of R Bar after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with two men and reportedly shouting a homophobic slur. One of the men is now reportedly lobbying for a hate crime charge against the actor.
After being treated for injuries associated with the scuffle and released on bail by police—”Free me,” he posted on X in the interim—LaBeouf was quickly spotted out on Bourbon Street drinking and posing for local news cameras with his arrest documentation in his teeth. The next day, various onlookers observed him taking an hours-long walk through several different neighborhoods in the city.
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LaBeouf has on various occasions spoken about his struggles with alcohol abuse and his sobriety journey. While he has previously reported achieving extended stints of sobriety, a TMZ report following his recent arrest cites sources close to Mia Goth, his estranged wife and mother of his young daughter, in asserting that “this is just the public seeing behaviors that have been going on for years.”
While some locals—like the artists he has patronized during his stay—have welcomed the presence of this well-known wild card in the Crescent City, the majority seem to echo a statement made to The Hollywood Reporter by an anonymous local bartender who waited on him earlier this month: “He is terrorizing the city!”
It is unclear how long he intends to be in New Orleans. Some reports have speculated that he recently purchased a home in the city, while others state he is staying in a luxury Airbnb Uptown.
Watch the Shia LaBeouf-filmed clip of George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners at The Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans below.
Shia, if you’re reading this, we hope you’re taking it (big) easy out there…
Yup pic.twitter.com/Xu49M3aCbY
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) February 24, 2026
P.S. There aren’t many appropriate times at which to refer to this all-time-great bit of absurdity, but this one feel’s like as good a chance as any, so here you go:
Rob Cantor – “Shia LaBeouf” (Official Video)