Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf first shared the screen in Michael Bay’s 2007 film Transformers. With a worldwide gross of over $700 million, Transformers not only became the highest-grossing film of their careers at the time but also earned them recognition among fans around the globe.

As the 2007 film progressed into a blockbuster franchise, Fox reprised her character in the 2009 sequel before she was eventually fired from the film series.

Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf in Transformers

While it was initially believed that filmmaker Michael Bay fired the actress for her controversial comments, the Transformers director later revealed that it was actually Steven Spielberg behind the Jennifer’s Body star’s exit from the franchise.

Michael Bay Was Not Hurt With Megan Fox’s Remarks

After starring in the first two Transformers films as Mikaela Banes, Megan Fox was replaced by the English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the threequel. While she was expected to reprise her role alongside Shia LaBeouf in the threequel as well, reports revealed that the actress was fired due to derogatory comments she made toward the film’s director, Michael Bay.

Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes

Sharing her experience working with him, the 37-year-old actress compared Bay with Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, saying, “He’s a nightmare to work for.” During an interview with GQ, the director responded to her comments, claiming that the Till Death actress “was in a different world.”

However, he also claimed that he did not have anything against Fox, saying, “I wasn’t hurt because I know that’s just Megan. Megan loves to get a response.” He also claimed that the executive producer Steven Spielberg advised him to fire Fox for her comments.

Michael Bay

Steven Spielberg Got Megan Fox Fired From Transformers Franchise

During an interview with GQ, the cast and crew of Transformers: Dark of the Moon reflected on Megan Fox’s comments about Michael Bay as they shared their experience working with the actress. Ehren Kruger, the screenwriter of the 2011 movie, claimed that “she seemed like an actress who didn’t want to be a part of [rehearsals].”

Claiming that Fox loves to get a response, the Pearl Harbor director said, “And she does it in kind of the wrong way.” Talking about her exit from the series, he shared that it was Steven Spielberg who asked him to fire her. The Oscar-winning director has been associated with the franchise as an executive producer since the 2007 film.

“Steven [Spielberg] said, ‘Fire her right now,’” he shared during the interview. Fox later looked back at her statement as she called it an “invaluable learning experience.” The Night Teeth actress said that being self-righteous caused her to lose the franchise, which was absolutely the low point in her career.