39-year-old actor James Franco is the latest celebrity to be called out for inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior. On January 7, Franco won an award for best actor for the movie “The Disaster Artist.” At the Golden Globes, Franco wore a Time’s Up lapel pin to honor the fight against sexual misconduct. But now he is caught up in his own scandal.

On January 11, the Los Angeles Times published a report detailing five women’s accusations against Franco. The report of “inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior” was the finale of the tidal wave of controversy hitting Franco, following the night of the Golden Globes.

That night, three actresses tweeted accusations of sexual misconduct.

One woman told the L.A. Times that in a nude sex scene she filmed with Franco and several other women three years ago, he removed protective plastic guards covering the actresses’ female parts, while simulating oral sex on them.

Actress Violet Paley blasted Franco on Twitter after the Golden Globes, and she told the L.A. Times that she and Franco engaged in a romantic relationship after Franco pressured her into performing oral sex on him in her car. The actress shared her story about how Franco allegedly pulled his penis out in the middle of a conversation. She says she felt very nervous and kept asking "Can we do this later?" Instead of understanding her negative reaction, Franco allegedly ignored her and slightly nudged her head down.

Feeling very nervous and pressured, the actress recounted how she didn't want Franco to hate her, so she did it.

How did Franco respond?

USA Today reported how Ashley Judd, a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement praised Franco for his statement on the matter on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday (Jan. 9) when Franco addressed the accusations directly.

Franco began by praising himself for being able to take responsibility for the things that he has done. “The things I heard that were 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. So, I don’t want to shut them down in any way.

It’s, I think, a good thing, and I support it.”

Why does Judd like it?

Judd called Franco’s comment “terrific,” and commended him for bringing Men And Women together and supporting them for speaking out. She also said that she thinks everyone sometimes behaves insensitively, inappropriately, and with tone deafness, but it is important to have culpability and have restorative justice.

“This is about men and women being all together and having a more equitable and just workplace, home life, social spaces,” Judd said. “...it takes that kind of individual accountability to collectively make the change on a large scale.”

Franco’s previous issues

As reported on Blasting News before, Franco has previously been known to be candid about his depression and addictive personality.

He has told OUT magazine that his lifestyle in his first 10 years in the industry has taken its toll on him, despite all the fame and attention he was getting. He has also recently taken legal action to shut down a play featuring himself.
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