The left-wing New York Times canceled a scheduled interview with actor/director James Franco in the wake of a series of women coming forward with accusations of sexual misconduct.
Practically before he had left the stage with a new Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist, Franco was hit with numerous accusations via social media.
Actress Ally Sheedy, best remembered for her work in the iconic 80’s film The Breakfast Club, tweeted, “James Franco just won. Please never ask me why I left the film/TV business.” Two more cryptic tweets followed. Eventually she deleted all three.
Sheedy’s deletion of her tweets would seem to show that, even in this era of #TimesUp and #MeToo, even after everyone wore black to the Golden Globes in support of the victims, a well-known actress might have felt pressured to delete “her truth” (as Oprah might put it) for saying too much.
Franco wore a #TimesUp pin to Sunday’s award show, an act that was thrown in his face by actress Violet Paley, who tweeted, “Cute #TimesUp pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis[.]”
In that same tweet, Paley added a second allegation, “& that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?“
Paley, who admits to having a consensual relationship with Franco, said this particular incident was not consensual.
Cute #TIMESUP pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) January 8, 2018
thank you for your support ❤️ just to be clear I wasn’t 17, I was an adult. There are a lot more details that will be out soon. Working with people to do it in the best, safest way
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) January 8, 2018
another reason it’s been hard to come forward about this. we did have a consensual relationship as well. unfortunately & fortunately, there are others who went through this same thing as me with him, and worse. I’m glad I am strong enough to speak up for all of us despite trolls
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) January 9, 2018
Paley also claimed that Franco has been offering her and others a “overdue, annoyed, convenient phone ‘apology'” for past behavior.
A couple weeks ago, James offered me & a few other girls an overdue, annoyed, convenient phone “apology”. I don’t accept, but maybe some other people’s lives would be made easier if he donated all of his earnings from “The Disaster Artist” to @RAINN01.
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) January 9, 2018
A third allegation comes from Sarah Tither-Kaplan, who was a member of Franco’s acting school. Although she admits to signing a contract and accepting $100 a day to do “full nudity,” she now claims it was “exploitive” because she “100% did not feel like I had a choice to say no.”
Franco appeared on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show Tuesday night to offer his support for the #MeToo movement and deny the accusations.
Back in 2014, Franco found himself in hot water after he tried to pick up a 17-year-old girl over social media. He was 36 at the time. Both he and the girl were in New York, where the age of consent is 17, but he later apologized and admitted “Seventeen is legal in New York, but that being said, it’s still pretty damn young.”
Franco is the 110th person in the left-wing entertainment business accused of sexual misconduct.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.