James Franco Confesses Why He Hit On 17-Year-Old Girl — Interview

How about this timing!? On April 4, three days after he hit on a 17-year-old girl on Instagram, James appeared on ‘Live With Kelly and Michael,’ and surprisingly, James didn’t waste any time addressing the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

Though the heat has been turned all the way up on him thanks to an alleged Instagram flirtation with a 17-year-old girl, James Franco, 35, bravely hit the set of Live With Kelly and Michael on April 4. And right away, he decided to address his social media controversy.

James Franco Apologizes For Scandal: ‘I Used Bad Judgment’

It wasn’t clear whether or not Kelly or Michael would address the scandal, but James obviously wasn’t going to make his appearance and pretend that nothing was going on. So right away he owned up to everything.

Lucy Clode: See Pics Of James Franco’s 17-Year-Old Crush

“I’m embarrassed,” James somberly admitted. “I guess I’m just a model about how social media’s tricky. It’s a way people meet each other today, but what I’ve learned is you don’t know who’s on the other end. I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson.”

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James then explained how he feels he’s in a tough spot, because as a famous person it’s nearly impossible for him to make a connection without it becoming news. “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.”

Kelly Ripa, to her credit, knew just how to lighten the mood after James’ brave confession. “I promise I will not reveal our text messages.”

James Franco’s Instagram Scandal

James found himself in hot water when screenshots of Instagram and text conversations with 17-year-old fan, Lucy Clode, leaked on the internet. The Instagram back-and-forth showed James asking Lucy for her number and where she was staying in New York (Lucy is from Scotland).

After Lucy supposedly gave James her number, subsequent screenshots showed that they had a quick exchange where James again asked if Lucy was single, where she was staying, and if he should rent his own room there. The actor then sent Lucy two pictures of himself to prove that it was him. Obviously when the conversations went public, the internet exploded and James took a ton of grief for hitting on such a young fan, even though the age of consent in New York is 17.

But you have to give James some credit for going on TV and completely owning up to his mistakes. He got tripped up for sure, but he wasn’t afraid to admit it and we think he’s extremely brave for doing that. Do you agree, HollywoodLifers? Let us know!

— Andrew Gruttadaro

Follow @AndrewGrutt