Where's James? James Franco Skips The 23rd Critics' Choice Awards Amid Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct
Just a few days ago, James Franco brought home the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) for his performance in The Disaster Artist at the 75th Golden Globe Awards—one of the award show's most coveted honors. The 39-year-old actor was also one of the many men praised for sporting the Time's Up on his lapel, a sign of solidarity with the victims of sexual abuse that came forward in 2017.
Unfortunately, as the days drew closer to the 23rd Critics Choice Awards in which he was nominated for the same honor, the actor was slammed with multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and harassment by several women. It is assumed that James opted to skip the awards show to avoid further questioning for the time being.
For the women behind the accusations, salt was rubbed on their wounds when James' nomination turned into another win, this time for Best Actor in a Comedy. Actor Walton Goggins, who presented the award, accepted it on his behalf.
The in-depth accounts of James' sexual misconduct were revealed in an explosive expose released in the LA Times on January 11. The women who have bravely come forward with their accounts and identities have described James as a man in power who "they found to be inappropriate or sexually exploitative," often offering career advancement and opportunities in exchange of licentious favors.
Many of the women who came forward were his previous students from Studio 4, a film school he launched in 2014 to train aspiring actors, actresses, screen writers, and directors.
These women's accounts detail their experiences with the Oscar-nominated actor. Here are what some of these women have boldly shared:
Sarah Tither-Kaplan: During nude sex scenes that she and other actresses filmed with James, she reported that he removed the plastic guards that protected the actress' genitalia while he stimulated oral sex on them. Two other acting students corroborated this account.
Hilary Dusome and Natalie Chmiel: When they were set to shoot footage at a strip club, they were informed that it would be for a 7 For All Mankind jeans commercial. Both women were outfitted in lingerie and were approached by James before filming to ask "who wanted to take their shirts off." When neither of them responded, he angrily stormed off.
Violet Paley: While admitting to having a consensual sexual relationship with James, Violet recalls the instance that made her realize that "the power dynamic was really off.” She says, “I was talking to him, all of a sudden his penis was out. The incident happened when the two were alone in her parked car. “I got really nervous, and I said, ‘Can we do this later?’ He was kind of nudging my head down, and I just didn’t want him to hate me, so I did it.”
Katie Ryan: The acting student recalls having received mass emails from James over the years about auditions for roles of playing a prostitute. In addition to this, she also shares that there was an undercurrent at the school that made students, especially female students, believe that they would be given possible roles in James' projects if they had a willingness to perform sexual acts or go topless.
And while James skipped the Critics Choice Awards, the actor did make appearances on late night talk shows with Seth Meyers (who hosted the Golden Globes) and Stephen Colbert. When asked about the allegations by Stephen, James goes on to say that they "are not accurate."
James' attorney, Michael Plonsker, has disputed all of the accusations.
Photos from @jamesfrancobs (thumbnail and cover photo)
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023