Following his 2018 Golden Globes win on Sunday, James Franco, who wore a Time’s Up pin during the ceremony as a sign of support for women speaking out against harassment, was accused of sexual misconduct. Violet Paley took to Twitter to share her and her seventeen-year-old friend’s story about Franco’s behavior:
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) 8 января 2018 г.
Paley’s tweet went viral and has already had over 10,000 retweets and was liked more than 26,000 times. No wonder it stirred a monsoon of reactions all over social media.
While some people demanded evidence, saying that she could have done it earlier but she chose to do it after Franco’s Golden Globe win…
Any proof? Any evidence?
— Nathan Brown (@NathNinetyOne) 8 января 2018 г.
Proof? Show some proof before you destroy a mans career
— KR (@TylerG496) 8 января 2018 г.
Exactly, and you do it, THEN! Not right after a #GoldenGlobe Win!.. that's why there are more questions than concerns.
— Leis Taylor (@LeisThatGirl) 8 января 2018 г.
Others immediately showed their support for her, condemning Franco…
James Franco wearing the #TimesUp pin is like Cancer wearing a pink ribbon. #GoldenGlobes #timesupnow
— Jenny Yang👲👲🏽🐉 (@jennyyangtv) 8 января 2018 г.
Looks like it’s TIMES UP for FRANCO!!!!!!
— KANSAS BOWLING (@KANSASBOWLING) 8 января 2018 г.
Light his ass up woman! #TIMESUP pic.twitter.com/htz1xXB81S
— Nadia Reigna Silver (@nadiasilver3) 8 января 2018 г.
I believe you, and I hope everyone else does as well. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
— Tynan Phillips (@ShyChemist) 8 января 2018 г.
Thanks for feeling brave enough to speak up. It’s about time for James Franco’s time to be up on what he does to you underaged women
— Stacy (@blumes15) 8 января 2018 г.
Other users claimed that Franco was involved in other cases of sexual misconduct:
I believe you. He hit on my 16 yo cousin too.
— K (@peasandkaris) 8 января 2018 г.
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) 8 января 2018 г.
At the same time Paley clarified that she was an adult when she dated Franco, and they had a consensual relationship, but promised to expose more details:
thank you for your support ❤️ just to be clear I wasn’t 17, I was an adult. There are a lot more details that will be out soon. Working with people to do it in the best, safest way
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) 8 января 2018 г.
another reason it’s been hard to come forward about this. we did have a consensual relationship as well. unfortunately & fortunately, there are others who went through this same thing as me with him, and worse. I’m glad I am strong enough to speak up for all of us despite trolls
— Violet Paley (@VioletPaley) 9 января 2018 г.
Many other users called out the actor for wearing a Time’s Up pin, reminding everyone that he was previously accused of trying to get a seventeen-year-old to meet up at his hotel room following their alleged conversation which was leaked online.
Whatever I still remember James Franco trying to pick up a teenager on Instagram
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) 8 января 2018 г.
Violet Paley is by far not the only woman that has taken to social media to express her indignation with Franco’s winning and behavior. Actress Ally Sheedy included James Franco in a #MeToo tweet, suggesting that actors like him and Christian Slater were involved in her decision to leave the movie industry. Her tweets have been removed since then.
READ MORE: 'Vigilante Justice': Film Icon Catherine Deneuve Slams #MeToo 'Puritanism'
James Franco was expected to appear as a guest on a “TimesTalk” panel discussion along with his brother Dave on Wednesday to speak about making of the film “The Disaster Artist,” for which he took an award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture/Comedy. However, The New York Times canceled it after the accusations appeared on Twitter.
“The event was intended to be a discussion of the making of the film, The Disaster Artist. Given the controversy surrounding recent allegations, we’re no longer comfortable proceeding in that vein,” the spokesperson for The Times said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, a contributor to The New York Times, Sopan Deb, tweeted that Franco refused to react to the accusations…
I was supposed to moderate this. I asked Franco at the National Review Board gala if he’d like to respond to the allegations. He declined. https://t.co/59hhvrKM2z
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) 10 января 2018 г.
…and revealed a piece of the script for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where Franco appeared as a guest and addressed allegations against him.
Full bit of James Franco addressing sexual misconduct allegations on @colbertlateshow tonight: "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." pic.twitter.com/obLxz6JB4I
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) 10 января 2018 г.
