Disgraced videographer Joe Francis of “Girls Gone Wild” infamy has gone on record to blame the underage girls who destroyed his raunchy and controversial empire.
Sitting down for his first interview in more than a decade, the 51-year-old founder of the franchise spoke openly about his experiences during GGW’s heyday and a recent docuseries, “Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story,” that chronicles the rise and fall of Francis – and where he is today.
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‘Girls Gone Wild’ Made Joe Francis A Household Name
For a time, advertisements for Francis’ “Girls Gone Wild” series were a staple of late-night television, teasing long-form videos of party girls all around the world taking it all off on-camera.
Beginning in 1997, Francis would release footage of these women via home video delivery. By 2002, he acquired over $20 million in sales via 83 different “Girls Gone Wild” titles.
Almost immediately following his success, allegations from women who claimed to have been inebriated while being filmed began to swarm Francis and his company. Francis was able to dispel some of their claims with footage of them acquiescing and appearing of sound mind doing so.
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Francis Allegedly Filmed And Had Sex With Minors, Leading To His Downfall
More serious claims of filming and sexually engaging with minors would follow in 2003, leading Joe Francis to be charged with child abuse and prostitution in 2008. He would plead no contest and be sentenced in 2015 to spend less than a year in jail – which he had already served.
He also received six months of “non-reporting” probation and was banned from filming in Panama City for three years.
With legal troubles mounting, Francis left the United States and moved to Mexico, where he currently resides. He is considered to live “in exile,” partially due to his refusal to face trial over another warrant issued in 2014.
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Francis Claims He Was ‘Victimized’ By The Underage Girls He Filmed
Speaking to journalist Scacchi Koul about the “Girls Gone Wild” docuseries and the actions that led him to disgrace, Francis defiantly refused to take accountability– most notably regarding the charges from 2008.
“They were 17, just shy of 18,” he stated, refusing to refer to the victims as being “young.”
“[The girls were] the ones that victimized [“Girls Gone Wild”],” Francis continued, as transcribed by Entertainment Weekly.
“We believe they were put up by the Panama City police, and it was all [part of] an operation. I believe that was quite orchestrated. I walked into a f-cking snake pit, okay?”
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All four victims would allege that they were minors when they were filmed performing sex acts and posing topless at a Panama City hotspot. They would eventually report Francis to the local police, who, in turn, would compile a RICO case against Francis and the “Girls Gone Wild” company.
To this day, Francis claims to feel no guilt over filming the underage women or supplying them with alcohol to lower their inhibitions.
“I don’t believe they were victimized. They victimized me,” he reiterated.
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Two Assault Cases Caused Francis To Go On The Lam
As it currently stands, Joe Francis is facing charges related to two separate assault incidents, which also adds to his resistance to return to the country.
The first was made in 2013 after a 2011 incident where Francis invited three women to his Hollywood mansion via his limo, then refused to let them leave.
Once they arrived at his residence, Francis allegedly “[grabbed] one of the women by the throat and hair, and [slammed] her head into the tile floor four times.”
He then demanded that the women refrain from calling the police. He was sentenced to serve 270 days in prison and ordered to complete an anger management course, along with a year of mental health counseling.
In 2014, he was arrested again following an altercation at the “Girls Gone Wild” headquarters in Los Angeles.
With the latter incident being a probation violation of the 2011 incident, Francis was set to be given stronger charges – but as the Los Angeles Times notes, he soon flew off to Mexico and never returned.
A $500,000 warrant was soon placed for his arrest.
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Hear Francis’s Side Of The ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Story For Yourself
Those who are curious to learn more about Joe Francis and the history of his brand can stream all three episodes of “Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story” now on Peacock.
