Franco denies sexual misconduct allegations
NEW YORK — After allegations of sexual misconduct circulated on social media about James Franco, the actor told late-night host Stephen Colbert the “the things I heard on Twitter are not accurate.”
The allegations against Franco were prompted in part by Franco’s best actor in a comedy or musical win Sunday at the Golden Globes for his film “The Disaster Artist.” At the ceremony, Franco wore a pin supporting the “Time’s Up” initiative for gender equality in Hollywood.
Actress Violet Paley said on Twitter that Franco pushed her head toward his groin in a car, and filmmaker Sarah Tither-Kaplan claimed a $100-a-day contract she signed to perform nudity in a film of Franco’s was exploitive. Actress Ally Sheedy also said in a since-deleted tweet that Franco was an example of why she left the movie business.
“I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I have done,” Franco told Colbert. “The things that 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. I think that it’s a good thing and I support it.”
Franco’s appearance Tuesday on CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” came hours after The New York Times canceled a public event scheduled Wednesday that was intended to feature “The Disaster Artist” director and star and his brother and co-star, Dave Franco, discussing the movie with a Times reporter.
The Times said in a statement it canceled the event “given the controversy surrounding recent allegations.”