James Franco Addresses Sexual Harassment and Assault Allegations on ‘The Late Show’
Since winning at the Golden Globes on Sunday, multiple women, including actress Ally Sheedy, have tweeted about claims of Franco’s inappropriate behavior
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, James Franco denied the allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior that multiple women have made against him following his Golden Globes win on Sunday.
Actress Ally Sheedy was the first to allude to Franco’s behavior, tweeting after his win for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy that he is “why I left the film/tv business.” Sheedy later deleted her tweets, which also mentioned Christian Slater. “First of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy,” Franco told Colbert on Tuesday. “I directed her in a play off-Broadway, I had nothing but a great time with her, total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset.”
In addition to Sheedy, actresses Violet Paley and Sarah Tither-Kaplan gave more detailed accounts about Franco on Twitter. Tither-Kaplan said Franco pressured her into doing two days of nude photo shoots for $100 per day, while Paley said the actor pushed her head toward his penis. Paley also tweeted that she and “a few other girls” received phone calls from Franco apologizing for his behavior, an apology she doesn’t accept. “There are a lot more details that will be out soon,” Paley tweeted Monday. “Working with people to do it in the best, safest way.”
While Franco told Colbert that he hasn’t seen the other tweets and allegations that have surfaced, he insisted that the accounts about him are “not accurate.” “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,” he added. “I think it’s a good thing and I support it.”
Also on Tuesday, The New York Times announced that it was canceling a TimesTalk conversation featuring Franco and his brother and Disaster Artist costar Dave Franco that was set for Wednesday. “Given the controversy surrounding recent allegations, we’re no longer comfortable proceeding in that vein,” a representative told The Hollywood Reporter. Times culture writer Sopan Deb, who was originally set to moderate the TimesTalk, said Franco declined to respond to the allegations.
