Some of the digital edits used in Vanity Fair’s 2018 Hollywood issue were unintentionally hilarious.
But at least one was no laughing matter.
James Franco — who was recently accused of sexual misconduct by five women — was supposed to be part of the magazine’s main feature. But the actor was digitally removed from the cover spread shortly before publication, per The Hollywood Reporter.
12 extraordinary stars, one very momentous year. The 2018 Hollywood portfolio is here: https://t.co/6PfsFsPzK1 pic.twitter.com/MfRsp2y9Z3 — VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) January 25, 2018
“We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him,” a spokesperson for Vanity Fair confirmed to THR on Thursday.
Franco apparently sat for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz and was interviewed for the issue, which has been in the works since November. But he was scrubbed from the magazine after numerous women accused Franco of sexual misconduct on Twitter in early January, following the actor’s decision to wear a Time’s Up pin — part of a campaign to combat sexual misconduct amid the #MeToo movement — at the Golden Globes.
An explosive Los Angeles Times report soon afterward didn’t help Franco, either.
The “Disaster Artist” star denied the allegations made against him during a Jan. 9 appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate,” Franco said then, “but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice, because they didn’t have a voice for so long.”
(CNN) James Franco has been erased from the cover of Vanity Fair's annual issue celebrating Hollywood and the Academy Awards.
"We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him," the publication said in a statement released to CNN Friday.
The magazine debuted its new cover Thursday, with the headline " The 2018 Vanity Fair Hollywood Portfolio: 12 Extraordinary Stars, One Momentous Year."
12 extraordinary stars, one very momentous year. The 2018 Hollywood portfolio is here: https://t.co/6PfsFsPzK1 pic.twitter.com/MfRsp2y9Z3
Those featured are usually photographed in small groups and then digitally combined into one image. As a result, dropping Franco did not necessitate a reshoot.
The actor has denied allegations by five women who told the Los Angeles Times earlier this month they experienced inappropriate and sometimes sexually exploitative behavior by Franco.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Franco for comment about him being removed from the cover.
But Franco's absence isn't the only controversy over the cover.
"A Wrinkle in Time" costars Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey appear to have additional limbs in the photo.
Witherspoon looks to have three legs and Winfrey and third hand.
The stars joked about it on Twitter.
"Well...I guess everybody knows now...I have 3 legs. I hope you can still accept me for who I am.," Witherspoon tweeted. "And I will never apologize for snuggling @Oprah .. if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend it."
Well...I guess everybody knows now...I have 3 legs. I hope you can still accept me for who I am. 😃( and I will never apologize for snuggling @Oprah .. if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend it;) https://t.co/6GyrfWxNSY — Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) January 25, 2018
Winfrey responded with "I accept your 3d leg. As I know you accept my 3d hand."
I accept your 3d leg. As I know you accept my 3d hand👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾❤️ — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 25, 2018
Vanity Fair also kept it light, tweeting that the "third leg" is actually the lining of Witherspoon's dress and, "As for @Oprah, how can we expect her to juggle it all with just two hands?"
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
As for @Oprah, how can we expect her to juggle it all with just two hands?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯_/¯ (We are correcting this error online.) https://t.co/QNd74YtSTz — VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) January 25, 2018
The publication tweeted that it would be correcting the third hand in its online edition.
James Franco was removed from the cover of Vanity Fair‘s Hollywood issue, featuring Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, and a host of other stars, following allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.
The cover was shot by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and originally featured The Disaster Artist star. However, his portrait was digitally removed.
“We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him,”a Vanity Fair spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Following his Golden Globe win for The Disaster Artist, Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by five women.
Franco has not responded to requests for comment from media outlets.
The final composite features a range of film stars, from left to right: Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks, Michael B. Jordan, Zendaya, Jessica Chastain, Claire Foy, Michael Shannon, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, and Robert De Niro.
Social media has already reacted to the cover’s apparent PhotoShop errors, which seems to show Witherspoon with three legs, and Winfrey with three hands.
Both stars responded with humour on Twitter, with Witherspoon writing: “Well… I guess everybody knows now… I have 3 legs. I hope you can still accept me for who I am.”
Winfrey replied: “I accept your 3d leg. As I know you accept my 3d hand [sic].”
Vanity Fair has removed James Franco from the cover of its annual Hollywood issue after numerous sexual misconduct allegations were made against The Disaster Artist star.
The magazine has confirmed to CBC News that it had made a statement about the decision to The Hollywood Reporter.
"We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him," Vanity Fair said in its statement.
The Hollywood Reporter says subjects for the magazine's cover are often shot in small groups and then combined, but it was unusual for a star to be removed from a photo layout, particularly so close to publication.
The magazine's cover also drew attention online for appearing to show Reese Witherspoon with an extra leg. Another photo, taken for the shoot appeared to show Oprah Winfrey with a third hand.
Both stars joked about the photos on Twitter.
I accept your 3d leg. As I know you accept my 3d hand👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾❤️ — Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) 25 January 2018
Vanity Fair said on Twitter that it was correcting the photo of Winfrey and Witherspoon with the extra hand but that Witherspoon's "third leg" was the lining of her dress.
