It all started when a video of Megan Fox’s interview with Jimmy Kimmel resurfaced on social media. In the 2009 clip from the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show, Fox narrated her experience of working with director Michael Bay for the first time.
The 34-year-old actress recalled that she was just around 15 or 16 years old when she first worked with Bay and appeared in a scene in “Bad Boys II.” Fox said that she was initially instructed to wear a striped bikini and a red cowboy hat and perform in a club scene. But considering her age, the staff said they could not appear in a club scene with a drink.
To fix the problem, the renowned director just had Fox dancing underneath a waterfall and getting completely soaked, to which Kimmel responded “perfectly wholesome.”
“Well, that’s really a microcosm of how all our minds work,” Kimmel added.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Backlash
Because of his comment on the rather unusual role for a minor, internet users called out the host for normalizing the sexualization of a teenage Fox. It even led netizens to start a Twitter trend calling to “cancel” Jimmy Kimmel.
The #CancelJimmyKimmel trend also came after the 52-year-old host received backlash for having blackface sketches stereotyping African Americans.
Megan Fox’s Explanation
As the tension rises on Fox’s controversial interview, people also unearthed a photo of the actress’ audition for the first “Transformers” movie where she was allegedly forced by Bay to undress and wash her Ferrari.
On Tuesday, however, Fox decided to set the record straight by releasing a lengthy explanation on her Instagram account.
Fox said that while she appreciates all the support being thrown at her, she felt the need to speak up to clarify some misconceptions and misunderstandings about her “Transformers” audition and her working relationship with Bay and other icons in the movie industry.
“It’s important to note, however, that when I auditioned for Transformers, I was 19 or 20,” Fox wrote.
She explained having to pretend to hold a wrench and “work on” Bay’s Ferrari during one of the audition scenes held at the Platinum Dunes studio parking lot.
“I was at no point undressed or anything similar,” Fox continued.
“I was not underaged at that time, and I was not made to ‘wash’ or work on someone’s car in a way that was extraneous from the material in the actual script.”
Megan also clarified that there was no way Bay or Steven Spielberg assaulted or preyed upon her in a sexual manner.
In the end, she thanked the fans for speaking up against the ruthlessly misogynistic industry before reminding everyone that other pressing issues deserves to go viral in the cancel culture.