UPDATE: James Franco has now responded to the allegations against him.
UPDATE 2: More allegations against Franco have come to light in new report.
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James Franco is now facing allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse, following his acting win at the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony. The big story at Sunday night’s Golden Globes went beyond any of the films or individuals who won awards; it was the Hollywood community’s reaction to the last several months of revelations in regards to the sexual misconduct of Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, and many others. Seth Meyers made several edgy jokes about the scandals in his opening monologue. Various presenters and winners referenced what has been happening, as did Oprah Winfrey in her well-received speech. Natalie Portman even pointed out, while presenting the Best Director award, that all five of the nominees were male.
However, there was some backlash in the reactions to the evening. Many critics of Hollywood pointing out that there’s a good chance that some of those in attendance knew about the wrongdoing of Weinstein and others and never spoke up. None of the male winners, unlike the women, mentioned the #metoo movement in their speeches. Several of those honored, including Best Actor-Drama winner Gary Oldman, have been accused of terrible wrongdoing against women in the past. And now, allegations have arisen against another acting winner from Sunday night.
Related: Was #TIMESUP a Success at the Golden Globes?
James Franco, who won Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for his performance in The Disaster Artist at the Golden Globes, has been accused of past wrongdoing of his own, as first reported by The Independent and other media outlets. Ally Sheedy, best known for her role in The Breakfast Club, sent a series of tweets during the awards show. Sheedy, who appeared in a play directed by Franco in 2014, pointed out that Franco had won and followed it with “Please never ever ask me why I left the film/TV business.” Many on social media remembered the reports from 2014 about Franco trying to “pick up” a 17-year-old via Instagram. And another actress, Violet Paley, made a more specific allegation, that Franco had both sexually assaulted Paley and propositioned a 17-year-old friend of hers.
These are clearly serious allegations, especially the one from Paley, which makes a specific, on-the-record allegation. While Sheedy deleted her tweets and has not addressed the issue since, chances are she will be asked to specify exactly what happened in regards to Franco.
Franco also does not appear to have addressed the allegations since they were raised. However, he’s going to have to address this issue eventually, as his Oscar chances - if not his career - may hang in the balance.
MORE: What Tommy Wiseau Wanted to Say at the Golden Globes
Source: The Independent