The New York Times has canceled a panel discussion featuring James Franco after women, including actress Violet Paley, tweeted accusations of inappropriate behavior following his 2018 Golden Globes win on Sunday.
Franco and his brother Dave were scheduled to appear as guests during a “TimesTalk” event Wednesday night. They were going to be interviewed by Times culture reporter Sopan Deb. According to the TimesTalk website, the discussion was slated to focus on the duo’s “Golden Globe-nominated and critically acclaimed film, ‘The Disaster Artist,’ as well as their familial bond, behind–the–scenes antics, and how there is more than one way to become a legend — and no limit to what you can achieve when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.”
After Franco won the Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture/comedy for his role in “The Disaster Artist” on Sunday, Paley tweeted about the actor’s alleged history of sexually inappropriate behavior.
Many others called out the actor for wearing a Time’s Up pin in support of women speaking about about sexual harassment and misconduct when the actor was accused of trying to get a 17-year-old to visit his hotel room in 2014.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for the Times said that the organization was “not comfortable” pursuing the event amid “recent allegations.”
“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 said.
Deb tweeted that he approached Franco at an event Tuesday night in Manhattan and asked if he’d like to respond to the allegations. Franco declined.