Busy Philipps says James Franco assaulted her while filming Freaks and Geeks

(Image credit: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 9 October 2018

In her new memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little, actress Busy Philipps says her Freaks and Geeks co-star James Franco physically assaulted her while they were filming a scene.

The book is out Oct. 16, and Yahoo Entertainment reports that in it, Philipps writes that Franco was a "f—ing bully" on the set. Philipps says she was directed to gently hit Franco on the chest while delivering a line, which set him off. "He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" she said. "And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me."

Philipps said the cast and crew members who saw this were shocked, and co-star Linda Cardellini told her to call her manager. Franco apologized the next day, but Philipps said it was only because he was told to by producers, and he was not reprimanded. Over the last year, Franco has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, and denies the allegations. He did not respond to Yahoo's request for comment.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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