Busy Phillips Says James Franco Assaulted Her On The Set of 'Freaks & Geeks'

In her upcoming memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, Busy Philipps describes her former co-star, James Franco, as a “fucking bully” and reveals that he assaulted her while filming a scene for the 1999 TV cult classic, Freaks and Greeks. 

Philipps had been instructed to lightly hit Franco in the chest while delivering a line. However, when she did, Franco immediately broke character and screamed at Philipps. “He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, ‘DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!’” She continued, “And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me.” 

Although Philipps chose not to report the attack to her manager, Franco was forced to apologize the next day by the show’s producers and directors. He then continued to work without consequence, she noted in the revealing excerpt obtained by Yahoo Entertainment. 

This is not the first time Franco has been called out for this type of behavior. Earlier this year, many women accused Franco of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, according to Vulture.

Philipps tell-all memoir hits shelves on October 16.