Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis is the subject of a new Peacock original docuseries, Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, in which he gives his first in-person interview in more than a decade. But perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems safe to say that the 51-year-old hasn't done much introspection over the years.
The interview was conducted in Mexico, where Francis has lived in exile since 2015 due to an active warrant for his arrest issued by a U.S. District Court judge over his failure to comply with terms of a bankruptcy agreement.
It's one of many criminal and civil charges Francis has faced over the years, including 2008 misdemeanor child abuse and prostitution charges stemming from the filming of four underage girls during a 2003 taping in Panama City, FL. He pled no contest and was sentenced to 339 days in jail over the incident, though maintained at the time that the girls lied about their age.
When asked by journalist Scaachi Koul whether he "feels bad" for providing the teens with alcohol and pressuring them to film nude scenes, Francis responded with a stunning, yet wholly characteristic lack of self awareness.
"No, because I don't believe they were victimized. They victimized me," Francis said, via Entertainment Weekly.
When Koul pointed out that the victims were "pretty young" at the time, and too young to be legally held accountable for their actions, Francis doubled down on his claims.
Related: 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Claims Extortion Plot After Being Beaten, Robbed in Mexico
"No, they were 17, just shy of 18. They were the ones that victimized us," he fired back. "I believe, we all believe, that they were put up by the Panama City police, and it was all an operation. So I believe that was quite orchestrated. I walked into a f--king snake pit, okay?"
Francis shockingly also has a rose-colored view on the longterm impact of the predatory series, saying that it "it loosened everything up" in the aughts.
"I think it just made for a so much more fun generation, I think it created the ability to have, obviously, the Kardashians, and it did so much more. More, everything, more for society, for life," he added.
Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story is described as an "astonishing account of Girls Gone Wild porn empire founder Joe Francis, whose impact on American culture cannot be overstated, alleged sins are numerous and now lives in exile in Mexico amidst the rubble of his once mighty empire."
All episodes are now streaming on Peacock, and you can watch the trailer below.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/3zlSCJr
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