James Franco Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Actress

After actor James Franco won a Golden Globe on Sunday night, actress Violet Paley claimed the actor once sexually assaulted her and tried to lure her 17-year-old friend to his hotel room.

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 was an adult at the time of the alleged assault and said that while she did have a consensual relationship with Franco, the alleged encounter she references in her Tweet was against her will.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan was once a student of Franco’s at his acting school. She alleges that Franco exploited her by asking her to strip down on set for only $100 per day after she signed a “vague and general at best” contract.

Hey James Franco, nice #timesup pin at the #GoldenGlobes , remember a few weeks ago when you told me the full nudity you had me do in two of your movies for $100/day wasn’t exploitative because I signed a contract to do it? Times up on that!

— Sarah Tither-Kaplan? (@sarahtk) January 8, 2018

Tither-Kaplan also said that Franco allegedly only gave actresses speaking roles unless the part involved nudity. Meanwhile, The Breakfast Club actress Ally Sheedy shared a series of tweets about the actor. She starred in the Franco-directed off-Broadway play The Long Shrift in 2014. She did not accuse Franco of anything, but took issue with his presence at the show. She tweeted: “Why is a man hosting? Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much.” The tweets have since been deleted.

Franco wore a “Time’s Up” pin to the Golden Globes, where most attendees wore black and spoke out about sexual harassment and misconduct in the industry. Time’s Up is an initiative launched by more than 300 women in Hollywood to fight sexual misconduct and give voice to those who often go unheard.

Franco, 39, came up under fire in 2014 when he tried to pick up a 17-year-old girl over social media. The girl met Franco outside his Broadway production Of Mice and Men and they exchanged Instagram messages. Franco defended himself by saying that seventeen is legal in New York while being interviewed on The Howard Stern Show. In 2014 Franco also shared a selfie, in which he has nothing on but his briefs, which were pulled down below his waist and his hand is covering his crotch.