Mel Gibson Wants to ‘Shake Some Sense’ Into Shia LaBeouf Amid His ‘Self-Destructive Tear’ (Exclusive)

Shia LaBeouf is seemingly in need of a friend.

Pals are urging Mel Gibson to step in and help his off-the-rails protégée, 39, before his situation gets any further out of hand, a source tells In Touch.

LaBeouf, who has publicly struggled with alcohol, was arrested and charged with two charges of simple battery after allegedly getting into a Mardis Gras brawl in New Orleans during the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 17.

“Shia is as stubborn as they come, but if there’s one person he does listen to and respect unconditionally, it’s Mel,” says the source. “He hero-worships the guy and says he’s the father figure he never had.”

In 2025, the former Disney Channel star revealed that Gibson, 70, was one of the people who helped him get sober. “He held my hand when I was really sh**ting on myself,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Dude really stepped up for me in big 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.”