Many may assume that Megan Fox and Michael Bay first met on the set of the first Transformers film. In reality though, the two go way back. In fact, one of Fox’s first Hollywood gigs was in Bay’s Bad Boys II where she had a small role as the girl in the bikini. At that time, Fox was only 15.

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Fox would take on other film and tv projects in the years that followed. But ultimately, it would be Transformers that would launch the actress to Hollywood superstardom. Just as things seem to be doing well, however, Fox was fired from the Transformers franchise. And now, several years later, some wonder where things truly stand between Bay and Fox today.

Megan Fox’s Transformers Exit Came After A Controversial Interview

After starring in the first two Transformers film, it looked like Fox was set to return for the franchise’s third installment. However, the actress gave an interview that essentially derailed those plans. “He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad man reputation,” Fox said of Bay while speaking with Wonderland Magazine. “He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for…” The actress also later added, “He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant.”

At the same time, Fox also spoke briefly about what life is like on the Transformers set, specifically how dangerous things can get. “Shia [LaBeouf] and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie,” Fox revealed. “He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do.”

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As expected, Bay read the interview soon enough but the director didn’t take Fox's remarks personally. “I wasn't hurt, because I know that's just Megan. Megan loves to get a response. And she does it in kind of the wrong way,” Bay explained while speaking with GQ. “I'm sorry, Megan. I'm sorry I made you work twelve hours. I'm sorry that I'm making you show up on time. Movies are not always warm and fuzzy.” Nonetheless, the recommendation to have Fox leave the franchise came quickly. “And you know, the Hitler thing,” Bay said. “Steven [Spielberg] said, ‘Fire her right now.’”

And so, Bay wrote Fox off the franchise, a move that LaBeouf (who dated Fox while working with the actress) supported. “Criticism is one thing,” the actor told GQ. “Then there's public name-calling, which turns into high school bashing. Which you can't do. She started s***-talking our captain.” Bay would go on to cast Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as LaBeouf’s new on-screen love interest. And in an apparent comparison between Fox and Huntington-Whiteley, Bay remarked, “Listen, I mean, Rosie came in and she would say hello to the crew. She would acknowledge the crew. She'd say thank you.”

Following The Public Feud, Megan Fox Decided To Do Some Self-Reflection

Since making controversial statements against Bay, Fox’s career took a hit. “I had to ride out two years of very negative press,” the actress explained while speaking with The New York Times. “There’s this perception that I was sort of thrown out of Hollywood. The positive thing was that it forced me to be very introspective and go, ‘You were not totally right in this situation.’” Looking back, Fox also told Cosmopolitan, “All I had to do was apologize - and I refused.” After making this realization, Fox also decided to contact Bay.

“I reached out to him, and we had a very genuine exchange,” she recalled. Meanwhile, Bay also recalled the time he heard from Fox after months of silence. “She sent me a text three months ago. She said, ‘I hope you're doing well,’” the director revealed of their exchange. “I responded, ‘Who is this?’ She goes, ‘Megan, you dork!’ I said, ‘Oh, well, thank you, hope you're well.’ When you're days and months on a set, it's like a family. You say rude things and you make up.” Fox also said, “From that point forward, it was good.”

They Have Since Reconciled And Done Two Movies Together

It seems that after Fox reached out, Bay was willing to mend their relationship and move on. In fact, Bay cast Fox in the remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which he was executive producing. He even posted a short announcement of the casting on his personal blog.

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While promoting the film, Fox even told People, “He [Bay] was one of the most lovely people that I dealt with in making this movie. I’ve always loved Michael. We’ve had our battles in the past but even when I’ve been really outspoken about difficulties we’ve had, I’ve always followed up by saying that I have a particular affinity to him.” The actress also later added, “But, sometimes we clash because we both have very willful, powerful personalities.”

Megan Fox Even Came To Michael Bay’s Defense

Years later, in the midst of the #MeToo movement, an interview Fox gave where she described working on Bad Boys II resurfaces online. As a result, some alleged that Bay “sexualized” Fox when she was younger. In response, Fox took to Instagram to deny these claims.

“There are many names that deserve to be going viral in cancel culture right now, but they are safely stored in the fragmented recesses of my heart,” the actress wrote. “But when it comes to my direct experiences with Michael, and Steven for that matter, I was never assaulted or preyed upon in what I felt was a sexual manner.” Meanwhile, Bay also reposted Fox’s statement.

As of the moment, Bay and Fox are yet to work on a new film together. That said, Bay once wrote, “I’m proud to have worked with her, and still am planning on working with her.”

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