The real disaster artist: James Franco accused of sexual misconduct by five women
Actor & director James Franco (The Disaster Artist) has been accused of sexually inappropriate and exploitative behavior by five women. These fresh allegations contribute to the mounting case against Franco, who was first accused of sexual misconduct by several women amid his Golden Globes win. Although The Deuce star denied the first batch of allegations, the case took a turn today as five accusers have come forward in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The claimants include four former students at the acting school Franco founded and one who said he was her mentor. Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of the first who took to Twitter to speak out about Franco’s misconduct, described his support of the Time’s Up movement at the Golden Globes as “a slap in the face.”
Recalling the experiences, Tither-Kaplan claimed Franco removed the protective guards used to cover female genitals for the filming of a naked orgy scene and said multiple women were asked to appear topless in an unscripted scene and dance around the actor. Another student, Hilary Dusome, added: “I felt like I was selected for something based on my hard work and my merit, and when I realized it was because I have nice breasts, it was pretty clear that was not the case. I don't think he started teaching with bad intentions, but he went down a bad path and damaged a lot of people in the process.”
Lawsuit and Settlement Outcome
Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal filed a class-action lawsuit in 2019 and 2020 against Franco and the Studio 4 acting school. The suit alleged sexual exploitation and fraud tied to the school’s practices. In 2021 a federal judge approved a $2.235 million settlement that resolved the claims. The agreement did not include any admission of wrongdoing by Franco or the school entities. Studio 4 closed its doors following the resolution.
Franco's Later Responses and Admissions
Franco later addressed the allegations in a December 2021 appearance on the Jess Cagle Show. He stated that he did sleep with students and described the conduct as wrong because of the power imbalance involved. He also said he had worked on personal issues around those dynamics. At the same time he maintained that some encounters were consensual and denied the existence of any coordinated plan to exploit students. He has continued to reject certain specific claims that surfaced in the original reporting.
Career Trajectory After the Allegations
After the 2018 allegations surfaced, Franco stepped back from major studio projects for several years. He gradually returned through independent and international productions. Recent credits include the 2024 film Hey Joe, The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure, and additional titles such as Squali and Bunny-Man. He also appeared at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and has spoken about resuming work on a major studio project. He has described himself as trying to move forward rather than hide from the earlier controversy.
Impact on Professional Relationships
The fallout extended to longtime collaborators. In a 2026 Variety interview, Seth Rogen stated he had not spoken with Franco in a long time and had no plans to work with him again. Franco has acknowledged in other interviews that the allegations carried a personal cost to friendships and professional ties. The estrangement with Rogen stands as one of the most visible examples of those lasting effects.
The original accusations centered on Franco’s conduct at his acting school and on film sets, with detailed accounts from former students. The 2021 settlement brought formal legal resolution to the class claims. Franco’s later public comments offered a partial admission alongside continued denials of other allegations. His career has shown a measured return through smaller and overseas productions while certain key relationships remain severed.
