The internet has been swirling with allegations the last few days that James Franco had contacted a 17-year-old fan through Instagram and tried to pick her up, allegedly even asking should he book a hotel room at the hotel she was staying at with her mother.
According to Us Weekly, Franco has now appeared on Live! With Kelly and Michael today to apologize for contacting the fan and is reportedly “embarrassed” about the entire affair.
“I was feeling awkward — I didn’t want to come on the show and just feel awkward,” Franco told the show. “I’m embarrassed, and I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky. It’s the way that people meet each other today, but what I’ve learned — I guess because I’m new to it — is you don’t know who’s on the other end.”
“You get a feel for them, you don’t know who you’re talking to,” he continued. “I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson.”
“Unfortunately in my position, not only do I have to go through the embarrassing rituals of meeting someone, but if I do that, then it gets published for the world so it’s doubly embarrassing,” Franco added.
Originally, many had speculated that this was all in aid of a publicity stunt for Franco’s new film, Palo Alto.
