Oscars 2020: Shia LaBeouf slammed for laughing at co-star with Down syndrome, but fans think he is misjudged
Shia LaBeouf has been accused of laughing at his co-star with Down syndrome while presenting an Oscar at the prestigious award show this year.
When LaBeouf took to the stage with 'Peanut Butter Falcon' co-star Zack Gottsagen, 34, many Twitter users criticized him for appearing to snicker while Gottsagen struggled to get through his lines. The film, 'Peanut Butter Falcon', is about a man with Down syndrome, played by Gottsagen.
The man runs away from a nursing home in order to follow his dreams of becoming a wrestler along with the help of LaBeouf's character. Twitter was left unsure as to whether LaBeouf was laughing with a friend or making fun of someone with a disability. The two had been seen walking the red carpet together earlier and hugged for photos.
But Twitter users were skeptical and took to slamming LaBeouf online. One user shared, "Shia LeBoeuf literally laughed at kid with special needs.. wtf," while another user added, "Why was Shia LaBeouf so impatient with the boy on stage? laughing at and pushing him along? so distasteful."
A third user chimed in, "Did Shia Leboeuf just laugh at the Down syndrome man on stage ... on live television??????????"
Another user echoed the sentiments and wrote, "Ok Shia LeBoeuf is canceled."
A few others took to slamming the online trolls for being ignorant of the actors' friendship.
One user defending the moment took to Twitter to write, "People are rippin [on] Shia LaBeouf and don’t even know the story between him and Zack lol. Nooo he wasn’t being impatient or rude. He was being a friend and making way for Zack to be autonomous #Oscars."
Another shared, "90% of twitter right now has never heard of The Peanut Butter Falcon and doesn’t know about the sweet friendship between Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen. Direct your misguided judgment somewhere else."