James Franco has resurfaced on social media with a series of erratic TikTok videos claiming that an alien with 'glowing eyes' is living in his garage. The 48-year-old former actor, who was shunned from Hollywood after sexual misconduct allegations during the Me Too movement, has been posting since early June, often wearing a bedraggled blue t-shirt with 'bruce robin' written on it.
Franco's Bizarre Claims
In his first video, Franco insisted he was 'not AI' and not promoting any projects, saying: 'I can’t say too much right now. But stick around and I promise it will all make sense.' He then posted a second video in the same torn t-shirt with two strips of tape and the phrase 'bruce robin'. 'I know how this looks, this dude’s like 48-years old, like get in on this internet game,' he said, appearing stressed.
Franco claimed he was being watched and added: 'That’s not what’s going on. I don’t know what to do. Whenever I go and tell people, they just tell me I’m crazy or whatever. They tell me to shut up and I don’t wanna shut up. I want this to come out because I don’t want this to be on me alone. If I bring it to the world maybe y’all will help me figure this situation out. I won’t be alone.'
No Evidence of Alien
After about eight videos over several days, Franco revealed he believed he had seen an 'alien'. Despite repeatedly promising to go to the garage and show viewers the creature, no video evidence materialized. In one clip, which viewers criticized as 'staged', he said he had a 'wellness check' as two men arrived at his house, and he tried to convince them it 'wasn’t a bit'.
Later, he posted a scribbled message '7-13' on a ripped piece of cardboard, which viewers interpreted as a promise to share information on July 13. A subsequent video claimed to be a hacker telling him to 'stop and delete the account', but many said it sounded like Franco putting on a voice.
Public Reaction
The saga has left viewers feeling fed up. One commenter, AJ, wrote: 'James you said it’s not a movie,' to which Franco replied: 'It’s not.' Another anonymous account said: 'James pls. We are all very tired,' while Perla A232 added: 'This is pure ACTING.'
Speculation of a Promotion
Many suspect this is promotion for a new film called Love Meets in the Sunshine, one of the few accounts Franco's page follows, despite his denials. The film's director, Christian Guiton, pushed back against the speculation, saying: 'It’s not a science fiction movie. It’s not a conspiracy movie. If I were promoting Sunshine, this is not how we would do it.' Franco's character in the film is a terminally ill man on a road trip with a grumpy drifter, unrelated to the alien claims. The film currently has no release date.
Background on Franco's Fall from Grace
The Freaks and Geeks actor stepped away from the spotlight after facing allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018, with his last roles in 2019. In 2019, students at his now-closed film school Studio 4 sued Franco and his partners for allegedly 'engaging in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students'. Franco denied the allegations and in 2020 called the accusers 'attention-hungry'. He later agreed to a settlement, reportedly paying $2.2 million (£1.6 million) to resolve the lawsuit, but continued to deny the claims.
