LA Times: James Franco accused of sexually exploiting & harassing multiple women

75th Golden Globe Awards

One of the things that’s been so disturbing and unsettling about Sex Predatorgate is the realization that so many of these predators live in a constant state of profound cognitive dissonance. So many of them went along throughout their lives, harassing, abusing, assaulting and/or raping women, all while believing themselves to be woke allies and supporters of women in general. Imagine the f–king brass balls and mental mindf–k it took for James Franco to attach his little Time’s Up pin to the lapel of his tuxedo, and stand there on stage at the Golden Globes as Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical, like he was untouchable, like no one could say sh-t about him.

Well, that changed in a hurry. As Franco accepted his Globe on Sunday, Ally Sheedy started to call him out. Other women did too. People began pulling out the archived Gawker receipts about that time he was creeping on a 17-year-old online, like a Dateline Predator. The New York Times canceled his scheduled TimesTalk event this week. So… you knew something was coming down. And now it has: the Los Angeles Times published a lengthy account of accusations from five women, many of whom detail his sexually exploitative rehearsals or on-set situations. You can read the full piece here.

I’m not going to excerpt from the LA Times piece, because you should read the whole thing. Several of the accusations involve the “acting school” Franco started, which he shuttered last fall, likely because he was using it as a hunting ground. He exploited his young, female students on a regular basis, and it seems he was very, very interested in getting women to take their clothes off for auditions, rehearsals, plays, whatever. He basically wouldn’t even hire a woman unless he forced her to take her clothes off.

As I said yesterday… Franco was hiding in plain sight this whole time. He was hiding under the “complicated, avant-garde artist” veneer. It should also be said that this is yet another story about a mediocre white guy being given limitless chances to fail. How many times has Franco f–ked up, publicly, separately from sexually abusing and harassing women? And he kept getting chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity.

19th Annual Post-Golden Globes Party hosted by Warner Bros. Pictures and InStyle at The Beverly Hilton Hotel

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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150 Responses to “LA Times: James Franco accused of sexually exploiting & harassing multiple women”

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  1. SJ says:

    Yes! I’ve been waiting for this article. Just in time for Oscar voting too.

    • T.Fanty says:

      Yeah, he had better enjoy that Golden Globe. It’s all he is getting.

    • INeedANap says:

      I have been waiting too.

      There is an infamous study where a lot of men admit to rape as long as you don’t call it rape — describe the behavior and they admit they’ve done it. I think a lot of men who have assaulted and harassed women honestly don’t think they’ve done everything wrong; they reframe the situation as one that was consensual.

      Everyone thinks they’re the good guy.

      • Katie says:

        So true. And removing a shield during filming to perform non-consensual oral sex on someone is absolutely rape. It’s hard to understand how he could not realize that, but I’m sure he doesn’t.

      • Shannon says:

        I so agree Katie. Removing those shields? This guy is a predator.

      • Moos says:

        Thank you @INEEDANAP for that information. Will search about that

        Had an ex threated me with a knife. He had the nerve to talk to me again years later (thanx facebook…). I gavered all my courage to finally confront him about that. Was surprised how he admitted the fact (holding the knife in my direction in a menacing way ) like it was nothing.

        Then I talked about the consequences this assault had on me… He never admitted it was an assault. Because «it was obvious that he would never done anything to me». Yeah right.

        Was not even mad or sad. Was just shocked. The icing on the cake : he is now a life coach. How twisted is that.

        (No I wont press charge, I m too afraid)

      • CoffeePot says:

        It’s more of being massively entitled than thinking you’re the good guy.

    • magnoliarose says:

      I have to. For a long damn time and here it is! Thank you, universe for exposing this sleaze. Next up Jared Leto.
      Please.

      • Nancy says:

        I know Leto is arrogant, didn’t know he too was a predator. I remember on this site a couple of years ago, everyone was shipping Lupita with him…..oh they’re so beautiful together, blah blah…….what did he do???

      • broodytrudy says:

        Leto has a long and pretty well documented history of (allegedly) assaulting his groupies. Stories about women who occasionally were underage who were invited to have sex with him, complied, and were forcibly sodomized, bit, hit, choked, and roughly used without consenting to anything extra. Then ignored when asked to stop. He’s super gross. It’s all floating around on different gossip websites, tumblr, etc…

      • Xtina says:

        Jared Leto! I actually met him at a Walgreens in my hometown when I was 15 (2005). Him and a couple of his people (a man and woman) asked me and my friend if we would go to a hotel with him. We got a picture, but declined the offer– thank goodness. I was wondering if his name was going to come up. I had braces and was visibly a kid! They even remarked that we reminded them of the movie “thirteen”.

      • Aila says:

        I would LOVE to see Leto go down!

      • Jordan says:

        I’ve been WAITING for Leto’s deeds to catch up to him.

      • Nello says:

        Dear lord, those Jared Leto stories sound like Patrick Bateman American Psycho shit! Gives me shivers. Xtina – thank God you and your friend said no! Some bad shit could have happened. Monsters, the lot of them.

      • Nancy says:

        Who would have thought Jordan Catalano would evolve into some freak who terrorizes and tortures woman. Women need to smarten up, do your homework and don’t be fooled by wolves in sheep’s clothing. F him.

  2. Nicole says:

    Was waiting for this one to drop. Worst kept secret tbh. No one should be surprised after he admitted to trying to hook up with that 17 year old on instagram.

    • OG OhDear says:

      Right? “This is such a surprise!” said no one.

    • magnoliarose says:

      I can’t believe it took this long.
      When the underage stuff really comes out he is done.

    • TheCassinator says:

      When will someone ask Seth Rogan about why he continually works with Franco?

      • Don't kill me I am French says:

        Did I imagine the gossip about Franco and co encouraged Channing Tatum to harass Emma Watson on set ?

    • holly hobby says:

      Wasn’t there some stories about his in the film with Vanessa Hugins and Selina Gomez? I sort of vaguely remember there were stories. Those girls were on the younger side of 20 at the time?

  3. Renee2 says:

    Well, I am glad that he is getting his reckoning. He is a creep on every level and is a hack processionally. He should have been cancelled after that bullshit review that he wrote about 12 Years a Slave. So f*cking offensive.

    • tracking says:

      +1 . I have never understood his appeal, on any level.

    • SJ says:

      Franco also wrote an article about McQueen’s film Shame. He claimed that Fassbender’s character was not a sex addict, but a normal guy. In fact, Franco said the “binge” the character went on at the end of the film was what most men in Hollywood do on an average night. It was disturbing, and made me side-eye him ever since.

    • Lahdidahbaby says:

      Exactly right! I was so disappointed in Seth M. For having Franco on the show last night. I’ve been turning to Seth’s “A Closer Look” political segment all the past year for my sanity, and when I tuned in last night and saw Franco on the line-up I turned it off.

      • magnoliarose says:

        Like hangs with like. He’s no angel either.

      • Shambles says:

        Magnolia~
        Do you mean Seth Meyers or Seth Rogen? I had never heard anything about Meyers, but who knows. Rogen and Franco are BFFs, so my first reaction to this was “I wonder what we’ll hear about Seth.”

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        Seth Meyers??? What did HE do? I can’t.

      • Suki66 says:

        Except if you look at the only interviewers willing to ‘go there’ it has been the late night comedians: John Oliver, Stephen Colbert and Last night Seth Meyers, showed a willingness to make these guys uncomfortable in a way that the rest of the press has not.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        Magnoliarose, I’ve never heard a single bad thing about Seth Meyers. I think maybe you’re confusing him with Seth Rogan, but since you’ve now suggested that Seth Meyers is of the same ilk, I hope you can clarify…?

      • Xi Tang says:

        Not Meyers, Rogan. Meyers is an angel as far as I’m concerned.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        Suki66–did Seth Meyers do that last night? I love to think he made that a-hole Franco uncomfortable. Damn, now I wish I hadn’t turned it off when I heard Franco was on.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        Xi Tang, I SO agree with you about Seth Meyers. I have honestly felt sometimes since Trump was elected and the world fell apart that if it weren’t for Seth’s political commentary each night I would be so much worse off than I am. He sort of fills the void JonStewart left — not quite, but pretty close.

  4. Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

    Colour me surprised said no one ever. Am waiting for it to drop on JT, he is cut of the same cloth.

    • Renee2 says:

      @ Digital Unicorn,

      The same thought crossed my mind. Hmm…

    • TheOtherOne says:

      Wait, what?? Justin Timberlake?? Seriously……More details please.

    • Adele Dazeem says:

      Oh god yes if there is one person I LOATHE and would love to see get their due it’s king of narcissism Justin Timberlake!!! Spill the tea please!!

    • T.Fanty says:

      Oh, let’s pray to the gossip gods for that one. I would LOVE to see JT go down.

    • Nicole says:

      I havent heard anything about JT but I would not be surprised. He’s definitely a misogynistic a-hole

    • magnoliarose says:

      I don’t think that is going to happen.
      I only heard he is a cheater with a big ego but nothing rapey or skeeve. He could be hiding it but I would be surprised.

      • Zapp Brannigan says:

        Enty from Crazy Days and Nights (I know, but I take what I can get) tweeted that JT had a financial settlement with a staff member at his restaurant that was forced to watch pron at work, so let see if anything else comes out.

      • KBB says:

        Crazy Days and Nights is fictional. It’s all made up. He can’t be sued because his disclaimer says it’s pure fiction. That’s why Blind Gossip won’t post those blind items.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        @KBB: Yeah. I don’t care for Justin Timberlake and don’t know if he does or doesn’t have any history of abuse. (If he does, hopefully and likely it will come out. If he doesn’t, then that’s a good thing, not a “Damn! I so wanted this douche to go down by any means possible!” thing for me.) But CDAN and the complicit commentariat that comes with it is trash. And it’s not lost on me that Enty is a man.

      • bea says:

        @KBB It’s not like blind gossip is different.. A lot of their own blinds are based on whatever crazy stans send.

    • Alyce says:

      I don’t think it is appropriate to wish that any man has rape/ sexual assault allegations made against them just because you don’t like them. If JT did anything to anyone then I hope they come forward, but there have been NO indications of that.

      This is getting scary. Lets focus on the actual predators here.

      • brooksie says:

        100% agree.

      • Nancy says:

        A big amen on that. It’s the old be careful to dig holes for others, you might just fall in. Simply disliking someone is hardly a reason to speculate they are rapists. Can’t imagine anyone trying to destroy a life simply because of hatred, that is if you don’t remember that Hitler guy.

      • Aren says:

        It doesn’t help the cause either, it makes it look like accusations are thrown in just for the sake of it, which we know is rarely the case.

      • Kitten says:

        Agreed. Can’t stand JT but I’d stop short of delighting in the idea that he assaulted and/or harassed multiple victims.

      • Nancy says:

        Kitten: I haven’t seen you around for so long! Hope everything is okay, missed your comments girlie girl….

      • U.S and them says:

        Agree.

      • mira belle says:

        Alyce – agree 100% with your comment.
        There’s a reason we are lucky enough to have a legal system of innocent until proven guilty.

        Does that mean a$$holes sometimes slip through the cracks – yes – am I okay with that? Definatively no.

        But I urge caution when casting too wide a net
        preemptively.

        And Weinstein got slapped in the face a few days ago at a resto in AZ where he’s basically at the fanciest hotel in the state doing some “recovery” bullshiz and he slinked off and I say bravo (not pro-violence, but yeah, well-deserved).

      • CoffeePot says:

        Alyce–you are dead on. My greatest fear is that this will turn into a Cultural Revolutionesque mayhem. Let the abusers get purged. Assholes can continue to be viewed as such, but if they didn’t do the crime, I seriously hope false allegations won’t be pressed. It would not only be amoral; it would debase and derail the whole momentum of what is happening here.

  5. Lilith says:

    This is great news. Now somebody please go after Jared Leto. He is one of the worst offenders yet seems to be slithering by unnoticed.

    • HelloSunshine says:

      Do you have any more info on Jared Leto being a creep? Him and Justin Timberlake both give me creep/entitled vibes, like Franco does but I don’t think I’ve actually heard anything concrete and am just going off of a gut feeling.

      • the_blonde_one says:

        Leto *allegedly* enjoys bringing young (legal, but young) women to bed in what starts as consensual situations that turn very dangerous if you are unprepared for being choked- really choked, not like ‘I’m going to place my hand here and pretend’.

      • Lilith says:

        HS, I have heard terrible things about Jared’s treatment of women through friends who have worked with him. Also, there WERE many stories online re Jared’s penchant for under age girls (and guys) by groupies and industry types. I believe he had lawyers close down several blogs that dared to expose him.

      • Mia4s says:

        Never heard anything about Timberlake except that he’s a narcissist and a bit of a jerk. Neither are crimes, just annoying.

        Leto though? Oh yes those whispers keep getting louder and louder. I’ve heard the same as others have posted about. He knows it too, the way he distanced himself from the Hefner project like it was a nuclear bomb was tellingly nervous. He was rumoured to be attached to Disney’s next effort to revive Tron…my guess is Disney is rethinking that. As for the Joker stuff…my guess is WB is nervous as hell.

        Watch this space.

      • Milla says:

        Leto is among the worst kept secrets. Now, Justin, i know nothing about him. There is gonna be a mess in the upcoming years and this is still just a beginning.

        And wait until fashion and music world start collapsing…

      • Jordan says:

        I’ve read Leto has been involved with minors several times.

      • Jaded says:

        Jared Leto is a good friend of another predator – Terry Richardson. The photos of them together on TR’s private website are horrific, utterly horrific.

    • Nicole says:

      God Leto yes. The rumors about him are gross and apparently he uses his brother as a “gatekeeper” of sorts. Vile

    • magnoliarose says:

      I said the same.
      He is a disgusting predator.

    • The New Classic says:

      Every time I read a thread like this all I can think is “HOW HAS JARED LETO NOT BEEN EXPOSED YET?!?!?!” Seriously! It’s been an open secret for years?!

    • kay says:

      Notice anything about both Leto and Franco? They never have actual relationships. Women are just objects to them.

  6. manta says:

    Since I started a Gus Van Sandt marathon, I ended up rewatching Milk.
    The thought that ,out of all the 5 leading men , 3 were, at some point, accused/arrested/
    charged for acts of violence against women just caught me. (Penn,Hirsch,Brolin).
    Silly me was like “well, at least, that leaves Franco and Luna”
    Don’t let me down Diego!
    On a sidenote,I didn’t find Franco mediocre at all . But that doesn’t really matter now.

    • Mia4s says:

      Wow! I never thought of that (and that’s a terrific movie). As long as the worst Diego’s done is make the dumb decision to do the Allen movie (like 140000 other Hollywood actors…and I imagine he’s being re-educated on that) he gets the golden boy status from that movie easily and by default.

      It will be strange going back and watching a lot of movies now. Tootsie for example is awkward as hell. I passed by Shakespeare in Love on demand over the holidays and cringed.

      Oh and f**k Franco, not shocked.

    • mee says:

      Yeah I think Franco’s quite talented actually. Or at least I did when I saw The Disaster Artist and was blown away by it – well done. Too bad – didn’t know that he’s such a sleeze and predator. Ugh are there any decent – or at least non-predator- successful men?

    • lucy2 says:

      I’d be surprised by Luna. None of the others, including Franco, shock me.

  7. Talie says:

    I read the article…I guess I’ll get flamed for saying, but none of it sounds bad enough to sink him. It reads more like regret for baring so much for these movies that only ended up on online platforms.

    After reading these stories though…I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be an actor at this point. The beginnings sound like humiliation hell. I guess there’s always the hope that you could become Jennifer Lawrence, but…

    • HelloSunshine says:

      That’s what I was thinking. As awful as this was for these poor women, I’m not convinced this will do anything to his career. Especially because he apparently reached out and apologized after. I think the general public will look at that and say, “ well he’s no Harvey Weinstein” and shrug. I don’t get the feeling that people are ready to acknowledge that harassment and assault come in varying degrees and are traumatic for the recipient, even if it’s “not as bad” as what HW did.

    • anika says:

      I agree with you. I think he’s sleazy – but but this article is a weird mix of stories.

    • Jamie42 says:

      I had the same thought. This article is anything but conclusive. Is it poorly researched and written, or is this really all there is? Sleazy, yes.

      • moop says:

        Hey Jamie42. There’s a lot more. Not sure if it will ever see the light of day, unfortunately, and I have problems with the way this was written. But there’s a lot more.

      • Talie says:

        This was my issue…it feels like it was thrown together quickly in the wake of the Golden Globes tweets. These stories are so important and they deserve attention and care.

    • Goldie says:

      What about the part where he removed the protective vaginal shields from the actresses while filming sex scenes? To me that sounded like borderline assault.

      I agree that this probably won’t destroy his career, though. At least it might make it harder for him to get away with exploiting more women in the future.

      • LadyT says:

        I agree. Removing the vaginal shields is definitely crossing a legal line. With the other accusations, as I read them anyway, not so much. Requesting a blow job, even in a crude manner, from a partner in a consensual relationship doesn’t strike me as a legal issue. And even though hitting on a 17 year old is gross as hell, I read she was of legal age in that locale.

    • magnoliarose says:

      I don’t understand any part of why this seems like it isn’t enough to sink his career? He opened an acting school and used his power to manipulate vulnerable women in a lesser position. He never had any intention of casting these women and set up scenes in order to humiliate them. He needs to go.
      There are plenty of other actors who wouldn’t do that who can take his place. He isn’t all that.

  8. QueenB says:

    Is it too late for the Oscar voting? I very curious how they will deal with this. Its a first. They were already sweating it with Casey Affleck presenting. Thats easier to take care of, a main nominee and one of the more famous ones too will be a problem. Good.

    • Ally says:

      They should just have Affleck present it to Franco. Then there’ll be a nice symmetry to it; a smooth continuous flow of toxic male privilege. Instead of Oscar, maybe they can call it the Harvey for Best Actor.

    • Mia4s says:

      It’s close. Voting closes tomorrow. You can bet right now the Academy is praying that a lot of votes are made last minute and that he misses the cut.

      Otherwise…mess!!

    • Coco says:

      Oscar voting ends tomorrow, so not sure how this will affect Franco’s changes.

    • QueenB says:

      @replies: I knew it ends tomorrow, it was more of a question if not most already have voted anyway. I dont think the majority votes last minute. Or maybe someone knows lots of people do, thats why I asked.

      Anyway I dont think it will affect it but it would have been nicer to know if it was because no one cared or because it was too late.

  9. Ally says:

    Well, he was always perceived as skeezy. Turns out he’s Terry Richardson-level skeezy, staging “art” to pressure women who are there to work into compromising and degrading sexual situations, burnishing his reputation while damaging theirs.

    Also that crap about “other addictions” (i.e. sexual coercion) and turning a new leaf is right out of the Russell Simmons playbook.

  10. Nancy says:

    Is there some sort of statute of limitations…..lot of abusers….Sinatra, Dean Martin and the gang, President Kennedy in their graves. That era probably started it all, and the current ones are paying for their sins too. About time. Franco is such a blatant tool, glad he got his, career over….next. Anybody read about Seal calling out President Winfrey’s selective memory of Harvey Weinstein. He will pay the price, but there does seem to be a whole industry of people who thought Harvey was everything, until………..

    • Bridget says:

      Are you actually suggesting that sexual abuse and exploitation didn’t start until the 60s?

      • Nancy says:

        Nope. Garden of Eden.

      • Godwina says:

        Yeah, I did a double-take, too. Even if the OP just meant “in Hollywood”, I’m sure the Clara Bows and Theda Baras could swiftly correct that, were they still among us.

      • Nancy says:

        Bette Davis wrote in a memoir that Joan Crawford had to sleep with every male at MGM, except Lassie to get a role. It was horrible in the 20’s and 30’s according to history. The infamous “casting couch…” I simply named some of the usual suspects whose names would be more familiar. Women have always been at the mercy of men, and hopefully now, it will change. At least these men know the spotlight is on them and names are being dropped…..at long last.

    • CooCooCatchoo says:

      Interesting that Seal called out Oprah for long turning a blind eye to Weinstein’s abuse of power. What about his ex-wife, a long-time Weinstein collaborator on “Project Runway?” I’m sure Harvey viewed the parade of models on that show as his own sexual smorgasbord. Heidi Klum (and others involved in that show, especially long term like Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia, etc.) had a front-row seat to that sh** and, as far as I know, never said a word. Seal is hypocritical as hell.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        Exactly. He implies that by not trusting GOSSIP she heard about Weinstein and publicly calling him a rapist based on GOSSIP, (which is not the same as a victim speaking out against an abuser), Oprah is automatically some kind of enabler and doesn’t have the right to take part in this movement. With that logic (which of course, I don’t agree with, but it’s the argument that’s being used), wouldn’t Seal also be ‘guilty’ of exactly what he’s putting her on trial for?

      • Nancy says:

        It’s exactly the same bullets being shot at Meryl Streep and any other celeb photographed socially with him. It’s implying since it was a poorly guarded secret, that everyone knew. That’s quite a conspiracy theory. Can’t be naïve enough to believe nobody knew….quite sure there are too many who knew and said nothing. Shame

      • magnoliarose says:

        Seal? I didn’t read that but he needs to shut his freaking his mouth. He is a horrible person with a crap personality who is abusive to women.
        He probably hates Oprah because one of his exes strongly hinted on her show once about him. Abusive men hold grudges like that. Sit down Seal.

    • Belle says:

      Started? Umm, sexual abuse has been rampant forever, and since the beginning of showbiz…

  11. Squiggisbig says:

    I don’t care about James Franco, I just hope that Dave Franco is normal and not a predator! I love him and Alison Brie!

    • Lucy says:

      +1 please. I do doubt that Dave’s unaware of it all, sadly.

    • Kezia says:

      The blinds about Be Dave are that he cheats on ALison all the damn time 🙁

    • magnoliarose says:

      His brother most likely knows.
      However, I won’t hold him to anything his brother has decided to do. He isn’t his keeper.
      If he cheats on Brie then he is stupid but he isn’t a criminal. Just a bad husband.

  12. JustJen says:

    No wonder Hugh Jackman looked so amazed/annoyed when he lost to Franco.

  13. Lucy says:

    So is he over now?

  14. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Yup. This was expected. But you brought up such an important point… hiding in plain sight. Oh how I wish Predatorgate was retroactive or had some impressive grandfather clause, because I’d give anything to open the floodgates on the oil industry. These ‘family’ men I worked with were ATROCIOUS. Wives and children would visit the trading floor painting such oh-so-sweet Norman Rockwell existences, but when they left I’d be manhandled while working the mainframes. Hands on my ass was an everyday occurrence, and God forbid my back was turned… apparently that meant nothing was off limits. And all this didn’t exclusively come from domestic employees either. The Finnish firm I worked for always had global visitations especially Britain, Germany and Finland (of course). I was harassed by multiple CEOs, CFOs, geologists, traders (omg the Traders), etc. These men made millions and their annual bonuses would blow your minds. What I wouldn’t give to unseat all duplicitous pariahs.

    • Nello says:

      That’s really awful! I really hope this movement helps women in all walks of life be able to go to work without having to choose between making a living and being assaulted. We outnumber men as it is. If you add the decent men who are out there to the fight, maybe we can finally ho!d all these predators accountable?

  15. sb says:

    I think it’s hilarious, one of the people who co-wrote that la times article published just now was a host (Amy Kaufman) for a filmed la times best actor roundtable discussion with franco, timothee chalamet, jeremy renner, hugh jackman and gary oldman.

    It’s not the writer of this article though
    http://beta.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-lead-actors-roundtable-20171121-story.html

    The roundtable video has yet to be published online though, but probably soon.

    & I never understood francos appeal, even before this there was just a disconnect.

    • JennaR says:

      Thanks for the link! I was just looking at the photos and couldn’t help by wonder if they put the creepier guys on one couch together.

  16. Wen says:

    Gross. Will they take his Globe away?

  17. minx says:

    Creep.

  18. Bridget says:

    Read the LA Times article. What struck me about this was I can see exactly how the cognitive dissonance of James Franco wearing that Times Up pin happened. It’s privilege in a nutshell. I would bet that Franco had absolutely no clue that there was a problem before these women stepped forward – that “they could have said no to the scenes”. That his girfriend at the time could have said no to the oral sex. He created a system where women felt that the only opportunities were there if they were willing to get naked – that’s not leading and mentoring. And yet, as a white male celebrity, he probably is completely oblivious to his privilege. Remember his professor complaining that Franco never showed for classes but that he was pressured to still give him a good grade by the school? And yet I bet Franco would tell you that he’s gotten everything on merit.

    • SallyS says:

      But GG were all one big cognitive dissonance – from Franco wearing the pin to all those men and women who were clothed in black and made speeches, yet are known for working with Woody Allen or Roman Polanski and praising them. It’s privilege indeed.

      • Bridget says:

        I refuse to sweep aside the work that the women are doing. The men are hopefully going to learn exactly what privilege is.

    • QueenB says:

      He apologized to some so he at least after MeToo he was aware something would come back for him.
      For the pin: It dont think its a sign for anything, not even for being a hypocrite. He didnt really have a choice, did he? Could he have turned it down? It would have gotten him bad press and scrutiny. Thats a side effect of it being basically mandatory to wear.

      • Bridget says:

        He’s definitely aware of these ladies’ issues with him. And this makes me think of the accusation against Richard Dreyfus – to the woman, he was a powerful man making a pass at her and it made her extremely uncomfortable. To him, he thought they had a romantic moment and had literally NO CLUE how uncomfortable he’d made her. The experience of women is so utterly foreign to some of these men, and the fundamental power imbalance – it’s privilege in a nutshell.

    • magnoliarose says:

      He knew enough to close his schools lightening fast, so he was aware there was a problem. It is possible he realized how far he had gone and how out of control he had become. I can believe the power can be addicting.
      He is just as you say and it is the system that needs to end.

      I always thought he seemed creepy from the moment I saw him. He seemed off because he is.
      From this whole mess, I have learned more and more to trust my instincts.
      I hope we all do it more and stop worrying about being polite or “overreacting.” We have been conditioned to say nothing or to minimize when confronted with situations that are sexually charged against our will.

    • AA says:

      But in one of the cases, he pre-emptively apologised post the Weinstein fallout so this shows he has awareness. I think he was just trying to get ahead of the story and hope, through his apology, that the person wouldn’t go to the press.

      Also, the fact that he is probably spending a motza on lawyers at this stage and effectively calling these women liars is extremely egregious. He could admit to these behaviours, make full and proper restitution and (seek to) do better in the future but instead he falls behind the usual expensive multiple lawyers’ wall and insinuates that all these women are liars. No bueno.

      • Bridget says:

        I’m replying to both you and Magnoliarose with something similar.

        He realized during the Harvey Weinstein explosion because he was called out. He didn’t independently realize that his actions were wrong and creepy on his own – and if you read his response, he genuinely doesn’t seem to get it still. And Franco has no real motivation to learn, because he has the astronomical privilege of being a white, male movie star. He wants to go into academics? It’s good for the school so his professors are pressured into giving him good grades. He would probably tell you that Hollywood is a meritocracy.

  19. Sherry says:

    It’s about time this hammer fell. Thank you LA Times for exposing him.

  20. HeyThere! says:

    Ew. He has no idea what he did was gross and wrong. The power he has over them is sick.

  21. PPP says:

    During his time at NYU he used his clout to get a teacher fired because he received a D. As an academic, fuck this guy forever.

    https://nypost.com/2011/12/19/professor-claims-nyu-fired-him-after-he-gave-james-franco-a-d/

  22. PlayItAgain says:

    I haven’t cared for Franco since he was such an asshole while hosting the Oscars with Anne Hathaway. He’s one of those actors that I get such an annoying, narcissistic vibe from, that I cannot watch any of his films. So these revelations don’t surprise me at all. It also won’t surprise me if he gets nominated anyway—Hollywood still has a long way to go.

  23. Samantha says:

    The article is weird, poorly written and makes the women look bad at some instances. Yes Franco’a behavior is exploitative and skeevy, but the stories are very unclear at some points in a way that the coercion factor remains unclear. This is the first time since #metoo started that I’m feeling bummed out by an “exposé” (in the sense that I feel it could negatively affect the movement). I think the LA times was hasty with publishing this.

  24. robyn says:

    I didn’t like how James Franco denied Tommy Wiseau a few words on the mic at the Golden Globes. If what they say about Franco and sexual exploitation is true, however, it’s sad all the way around. He’s such a brilliant actor in my view. These accusations can end a career but being sexual exploited can end confidence and a career too.

  25. Mina says:

    I’ve never liked James Franco, and from the article clearly you can tell he’s a sexist pervert that uses his position as a “teacher” and “artsy director” to take advantage of young women trying to get a shot in the industry. And seems like all the female roles in his movies are sexual and/or demeaning. I don’t think any of what’s described there is illegal, though. (Even the propositioning to underage girls, which is a clear example of his behavior, was left in the suggestion state, as far as we know, can’t do much with that). He’s gross and I honestly hope others see the light and stop working for him, but I don’t think this is enough to kill his career, not compared to other stuff we’ve seen. He’ll probably lay low for a while and come back, just like he did with his previous scandal.

  26. LittlefishMom says:

    I stand corrected. I wanted the proof on Franco and here it is. Thank you for opening my eyes. I never knew anything about Franco. Gross, just gross. Jared Leto too? I had NO IDEA about his history either. My God, it just never ends. What the heck is wrong with these men? So repulsive.

  27. Maria F. says:

    I have a feeling that a lot of these guys are going to make a comeback eventually (apart of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein). The only way that can be prevented is if the women of Hollywood blacklist them and refuse to work with them and if the general public refuses to pay for any product they star in. At the end of the day, Hollywood is all about the money, so in future if I see any of these characters in a show or movie, I will not give the studio my hard-earned money.

    I do not have a lot of faith in the entertainment system itself. I feel that apart of some really active women, a lot of people will have forgotten the time’s up protest, once the worst of the scandal dies down. Yesterday’s news about the discrepancy between Mark Wahlberg’s salary and Michelle William’s a prime example. And that happened after HW and Kevin Spacey.

  28. Veronica says:

    I figured this would come out after her pulled that shit at the Globes, honestly. Can you imagine the audacity? Knowing you’ve done things like that and wearing that pin? No wonder these women felt they couldn’t hold their tongues anymore.

  29. crazydaisy says:

    I haven’t read everything in detail and am very much possibly missing something important, but what I have read and seen on this indicates to me that these allegations are related to things that took place in the context of acting class or acting roles which involved being a stripper, being naked, and having pretend sex in an orgy scene. These are blurry as hell lines. If you’re acting the role of a rapist, you might do something kind of rapey.

    There are bigger questions here that are not being discussed. Why are women in film portrayed naked, stripping, or having sex in an orgy? Why are women agreeing to play these roles? If there are no roles you want to play, maybe acting is not for you. Or maybe we need to stop going to movies that feature serial killers, women haters, rape, orgies… I don’t know.

    I watched Franco on Seth Myers show saying he doesn’t agree with the accusations but he isn’t going to fight and refute because he believes even more strongly that women need to have the right to speak out. I don’t like him at all but I like what he said. Again, I may be missing a ton of stuff about his multiple acts of harassment and misbehavior…I’m just not seeing it yet.

    • Samantha says:

      I read the whole article and still don’t understand. No doubt he’s an a**hole and exploitative. But I don’t quite see how these stories point to anything specific that would constitute harassment in the workplace or assault of any kind. The stories here are different from cases where someone fears the loss of their career or is threatened. In Franco’s case, asking for naked auditions which the women provided is painted as an instance of “misconduct”. I don’t see how that works tbh. That’s a problem with HW and audiences who crave these things, I wouldn’t put that down as an instance of an individual’s misconduct. Other instances mentioned were also too vague, without enough explanation on how the women were coerced besides simply wanting Franco to like & help them.
      I don’t care for Franco, but I care about #metoo, and I don’t like to see the investigative journalism that initially started this movement come down to simply grabbing the headlines.

      • Shannon says:

        Samantha …. he removed plastic vaginal guards during an acting scene. That is outrageous, if not criminal. Unacceptable. Disgusting abuse of power. Repeated, disgusting behaviour. It is my hope that the Me Too movement stops abuses like these.

      • AA says:

        I understand the comments regarding the perceived vagueness of the article but I quite liked it, partly for this reason. As per the thread that Damon (not defending him!) started, sexual assault/harassment sits on a continuum. Are ppl’s concerns that it ‘muddies’ the water for the outright cases of sexual assault?

        #Metoo has revealed just how very intentionally evil and, variously, unintentionally clueless (probably most) men are on the issue of sex. The fame, money and power allowed Hollywood men to access this hyper fantasy form of male sexuality.

        I mean, really, the signs of Hollywood’s sickness has been evident probably since forever: lack of diverse representation, females being paid a paltry sum compared to males, the proportion of words they speak in the roles, much younger women being routinely paired with much older men, ratio of female rescuee to male rescuer representation, frequency of female versus male nudity).

        Another thing I am interested in is the long-term effect of #metoo on the industry. People have mentioned the obvious form of boycotting these people’s movies but I also give the eg. of me recently spotting some Hollywood memorabilia for auction. I was immediately interested but then my next thought was, what if this person gets outted as a predator then I’ll be stuck with something I hate that will probably be difficult to offload and I’d lose money on. Those kind of flow-on effects.

    • Lilith says:

      The question you have is “why do women play these roles?” Really?

      Could it possibly, maybe have something to do with the fact that white men have the power in Hollywood? That it is men who write the scripts, create the sexualized roles, and make the casting decisions? The women want to work, they want to support themselves.

      The problem here is not women who play such roles. We need to talk about the evils of Patriarchy, about the way women are viewed, portrayed and treated in the media. We need to demand that women are recognized as dynamic and multifaceted human beings and not sexual objects made to do men’s bidding. We need to support female screenwriters and directors. AND we need to call out and make examples of creeps that are abusing their power and fame.

      I am not here for any of this victim blaming crap.

      • Samantha says:

        @shannon: I agree with the example you brought up, that was abusive.
        There were other instances and wordings in the article that threw me off. Some examples, imo, didn’t warrant inclusion unless more detail could have been provided. There’s a sentence early on that’s not a direct quote and says that women did what he asked b/c they thought he’d help them. While that’s terrible, it’s quite different from doing sth because you fear a loss of your career or blacklisting. That sentence put the following events in a poor light, esp because in some instances no clear indication of coercion was provided.
        The incident in the car showed him to be a crap person, but I didn’t see enough indication for it to constitute coercion or lack of consent. I think exposes in this movement should bring to light criminal activity outside of work or work-related abuse of power. Again, the way he went about it was terrible, but I don’t see in what sense that event was worth sharing with public. Pushing a partner for sexual activity at an inappropriate time and when it’s clear they’d rather not is obviously not ok but It’s totally different from ,say, Louis CK who “asked” co-worker if he could masturbate in front of them, or Charlie Rose who appeared naked in front of employees. Franco was an entitled ass, but I’m not quite getting how that instance demonstrated a lack of consent OR abuse of power to coerce “consent”.
        I have been getting into arguments with many people on reddit and twitter trying to refute the notion of “movement gone too far” since week 1 of metoo, and I’ve been following it all closely. And I guess in a way I have been worried about things coming along that could detract from the fact that it is STILL hard to come forward. So maybe I’m missing sth, but I find the article poorly-written, possible hasty.

      • GinT says:

        Preach, Lilith!!

        Also, even if patriarchy got brought down a notch or two, there are still women -and probably will always be- who don’t see anything wrong with playing those roles and playing by these rules made by men. It’s so deeply ingrained in our minds that it takes work and concious effort to drop these behavioural patterns.

        Also, Franco is a fucking creep. I always thought he was a good actor,but arrogant as hell. Wearing that pin was a hell of a move. I’m stunned of the nerve. I hope he goes down and takes 90% of the male population with him. I feel like decent guys are so few and far in between. Ugh.

        Patriarchy and toxic masculinity make me sick. All these men who have never understood their privileges, and never will.

      • crazydaisy says:

        @ Lilith, yes, that is my question. It is a legitimate question, and interestingly, you answer it very well, but still feel the need to call me names. FYI asking a question or voicing an opinion that varies from yours does not constitute victim blaming.

        Personally, as an actress, I would not play a rape victim, orgy goer or stripper. If those were the only roles available, I would give up my dream to be an actress, because I’m not interested in that kind of pretending. Clearly other women feel differently, and those women have a right to be respected on the job, absolutely. But it would not surprise me if people’s boundaries get a little blurry in the middle of filming an orgy. (Ya think?)

        Thank you @Samantha for getting my point.

    • Aren says:

      The women aren’t calling him a rapist or anything. I think they just wanted to point out how wrong it was for him to wear the pin against harassment when he used his position to get sexual gratification from his students.
      Let’s be honest, there’s no real reason to ‘rehearse’ an orgy or oral sex, unless these women were going to do porn.

  30. lisa says:

    wave goodbye to your oscar nom!

    maybe casey affeck will send him a fruit basket

  31. Lilith says:

    “this is yet another story about a mediocre white guy being given limitless chances to fail.”
    👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
    Exactly.

  32. Ninetta says:

    What a shame. I was looking forward to the disaster artist….

  33. becoo says:

    Could the Academy renege on his nomination if he is nominated? Has it ever been done in film history?

    • Karen says:

      Has it ever happened before? Though he hasn’t been considered real contender for Oscar even before GG.

  34. U.S and them says:

    Given his predilection for 19 year olds I wouldn’t be surprised if allegations about Anthony Kiedies came to light. But I wouldn’t celebrating if they did.

  35. Kim says:

    Why does it seem, so very consistently, that the men who end up being outed as raging predator douchebags nearly always look 100% the part? Like, is anyone really that surprised that TJ Miller is a rape-bro? Louis CK likes to jerk off in front of unsuspecting ladies?? Nuh-uh! Jeremy Piven?
    No waaay! James Franco!? Not James Franco! He totally didn’t look exactly like what he is! At this point my eyes are going to detach if they roll any farther back into my skull. These f’ing shit for brain nothings have always been hiding in plain sight. Stop giving them the benefit of the doubt. If it hops in front of a camera and looks like a scumbag, talks like a scumbag, acts like a scumbag..then just imagine what it’s done when the cameras are off.

  36. LolGsavingsf says:

    I cannot stand Jared Leto. I do not find him attractive, I always found him downright disgusting, and knew something was fishy about him, despite not having met him.

    I was cringing when he was playing his part in Blade Runner, same as when he was playing in Suicide Squad, the man is a creep… Hiding things.

    The moment he went up to Taylor Swift and tried to buddy, buddy with her and then talked smack about her, and then tried to steal her song, while insulting her, then trying to sue TMZ and play victim sealed the deal for me.

    He’s a bad man, 100% believe the victim’s.

  37. CoffeePot says:

    As I said yesterday… Franco was hiding in plain sight this whole time.

    I disagree. I recall that he was publically shamed by a 17 year old CHILD’S grandmother for trying to prey on her when he was freaking 40. That was a pretty big siren call. Even if his claim at the time–that he thought she was ‘of age’ was true……gross. Said way too much about him.

    Don’t drop your fake PhD in the prison showers, asshole.