Hollywood actor James Franco has been forced to respond to a sexual misconduct claim made against him on social media.
The news comes just days after Franco picked up the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist. During his speech, Franco can be teen wearing a #TimesUp badge – an act that has been called out for hypocrisy.
Actress Violet Paley, taking to Twitter, has claimed that Franco once “pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis” and attempted to take a 17-year-old back to his hotel room.
“Cute #TIMESUP pin James Franco,” she wrote. “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?”
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
Paley the followed up the accusations by revealing that Franco had contacted her and “a few other girls” tp issue an apology – an apology that she has refused to accept.
“A couple of 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,” she said.
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
Franco, under pressure, responded to the allegations during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: “The things that I heard that went on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long,” he said. “I don’t want to shut them down in any way. I think it’s a good thing and I support it.
“I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy. I have no idea why she was upset. I can’t speak for her. I don’t know.”
Colbert, to his credit, asked James Franco about accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse that were posted on Twitter during the Golden Globes on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/KDITwoJi4w
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) January 10, 2018