The week following James Franco’s win at the Golden Globes has seen several women come forward to accuse the actor of sexual misconduct and “sexually exploitative” behavior.
On Wednesday night, Franco appeared on NBC’s Late Nightwith Seth Meyers and the actor discussed some of those allegations. While Franco told Meyers that the initial accusations against him that surfaced immediately after the Golden Globes on Sunday are “not accurate,” he also said that he does not plan to “actively refute” those claims because he wants to give his accusers room to speak their peace.
“This is a conversation that obviously needs to be had,” Franco said on the program in reference to the issue, as well as to the criticism he received online for wearing a pin advocating for the Time’s Up movement of women in Hollywood working against sexual misconduct and gender imbalance in the industry.
He continued:
There are stories that need to get out. There are people that need to be heard. I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much. And if I have to take a knock because I’m not gonna try and actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times published a report in which five women accused Franco of “inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior,” including four women who were once students of Franco’s at different acting schools. The Times also said that Franco’s lawyer disputed all of the allegations against the actor while pointing to his recent comments on late-night TV.
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Earlier this week, Franco appeared on CBS’ The Late Show and again told Stephen Colbert that the allegations against him are not accurate, but that he supports the women making the accusations. “If I have done something wrong,” he told Colbert, “I will fix it. I have to.”