Yesterday, Vanity Fair magazine copped a roasting over the cover of its annual Hollywood issue, when it was discovered that they had somehow Photoshopped three legs onto Reese Witherspoon‘s body. The Photoshop job apparently went further than anyone realised, however, as it was revealed overnight that the publication had scrubbed actor James Franco from the image entirely.
Franco has faced intense scrutiny from the media in recent weeks, after several women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct on-set. A number of accusers came forward on the day of the Golden Globes, where Franco picked up a Best Actor award for The Disaster Artist, and he pulled out a number of subsequent appearances, with friends saying he was “hiding out.”
Overnight, Vanity Fair made a brief statement about why Franco was digitally removed from the Annie Leibovitz-shot cover portrait, saying:
“We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him.”
When asked about him on the red carpet at the Critics Choice Awards, James Franco’s sister-in-law Alison Brie was supportive, telling reporters:
“I think that above all what we’ve always said is it remains vital that anyone who feels victimized does have the right to speak out. I obviously support my family and not everything reported has been fully accurate. But of course now is a time for listening and that’s what we’re all trying to do.”
Franco himself told Late Night host Seth Meyers:
“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.”
Vanity Fair, meanwhile, has partially copped to the Photoshop disaster in their Hollywood issue, admitting that they gave Oprah a third hand but insisting that Reese Witherspoon’s third leg is actually “just the lining of her dress.”
While we would have loved the exclusive on @RWitherspoon‘s three legs, unfortunately it’s just the lining of her dress. https://t.co/HJjvbc037S
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) January 25, 2018
