'He's just hiding out': James Franco skips Critics Choice Awards amid sexual harassment claims

Hollywood star James Franco is the latest name to be embroiled in sexual allegation claims. The 39-year-old actor skipped the 2018's Critics Choice Awards ceremony on 11 January, where he won the best actor award for his role in The Disaster Artist.

According to a report in People Magazine, the Why Him? actor has decided to step away from the spotlight and is reportedly "in a really bad place". A source told the outlet, "He's in a really bad place, so bad that he changed his phone number."

"His close friends are trying to be there for him but it's been hard – he's only talking to a select group of people. For now, he's just hiding out," the insider added of the actor.

Franco, who showed support for the Time's Up campaign supporting victims of sexual harassment and abuse at Golden Globes, was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a number of women. Actor Violet Paley took to Twitter during the ceremony on Sunday (7 January) to accuse Franco of trying to force himself on her.

She tweeted, "Cute #TIMESUP pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?"

Breakfast Club star Ally Sheedy also took to Twitter and wrote, "Why is a man hosting? Why is James Franco allowed in?"

"James Franco just won. Please never ever ask me why I left the film/TV business," Sheedy wrote in the last tweet, which was later deleted.

However, during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday (10 January), the actor addressed the sexual harassment allegations issued by a number of women on Twitter.

The Deuce actor told Meyers, "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."

"So if I have to take a knock because I'm not going to try and actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much," he added.

The host pressed Franco about his co-star Sheedy' claims, to which he replied saying, "I had a great relationship with her. She took the tweet down. I don't know, I really don't. I don't know, it was so shocking. I guess I'm just letting it be."