What Happened to James Franco After His String of Controversies?

In recent years there's been a reckoning for individuals who've been accused of sexual assault, harassment, or misconduct. But accusations don't always result in someone actually being held accountable for their actions.

People are now wondering what happened to James Franco after accusations against him came to light. Read on for details about what the actor was accused of, as well as where he is today.

Reports of James Franco's "creepy" behavior circulated the internet for some time. But it wasn't until a slew of accusations surrounding his now-defunct acting studio came to light, along with an eventual $2.2 million settlement, that folks have officially distanced themselves from the Golden Globe-winning actor, including longtime buddy and collaborator Seth Rogen.

Two students (and later as many as five) from Franco's acting school alleged that he orchestrated auditions and film sequences of a sexual nature, prioritizing his ability to engage in lewd acts with actresses over the educational aspect of the program.

One of several women who accused the Your Highness actor of misconduct, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, said, “I feel there was an abuse of power, and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women, and a culture of women being replaceable.”

Another accuser, Hilary Dusome, also stated, "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."

A quick look at James's IMDb page shows a prolific list of credits, with multiple projects released/packed into a single year. However, after the allegations came to light, those opportunities dwindled.

It does appear that after a hiatus in 2019, James was able to secure some upcoming projects. One sees him starring in The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure.

While much of the break in his work can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, his career trajectory seems to indicate he's starring in some of his own projects, suggesting others in Hollywood may still want to keep their distance.

Celebrity Net Worth reports that James is worth around $30 million, and while making movies costs a ton of money, if he wanted to produce, direct, and star in his own flicks, he could probably do so and turn a fairly good profit in the process, especially if they have loglines as good as: "A young contractor is hired by build a honky-tonk in Tennessee by the man who killed his father."

Ultimately however, it does appear that James's long history of "creepiness" may have finally caught up with him after a period of lofty achievements that included an Oscar nomination for 127 Hours. This means that everyone eagerly waiting for Sausage Party 2 will just have to re-watch the original and dream of what could've been.