By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-26 17:07:40 | Updated at 2024-11-28 12:35:51
1 day ago
Before porn was as easily accessible as it is now, there was the Girls Gone Wild franchise: a series of videos that showed college-aged women baring their breasts for the camera.
The company was launched by now-disgraced mogul Joe Francis in 1997, and it went on to become one of the biggest phenomena of the early 2000s.
The concept was simple - Joe would find college-aged women at parties during spring break and ask them to expose their chests on camera in exchange for free merchandise.
The women would willingly take off their tops and make out with their friends, usually in a public setting like a club or party.
Joe would then turn compilations of the footage into long-form videos that he would then sell to the public.
It was a massive success, but just as quick as its dazzling rise to the top, came its dramatic fall from grace.
The multi-million dollar company eventually became shrouded in scandal, facing a slew of lawsuits from women who accused it of 'violating their privacy' and 'filming them without consent.'
The franchise ultimately filed for bankruptcy after it was forced to fork over millions when the court ruled that it 'failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers in sexually explicit films,' according to a DOJ press release.
Before porn was as easily accessible as it is now, there was the Girls Gone Wild franchise: a series of videos that showed college-aged women baring their breasts for the camera
The company was launched by Joe Francis (seen in 2003) in 1997, and it went on to become one of the biggest phenomena of the early 2000s before facing a dramatic downfall
To make matters worse, creator Joe soon endured his own controversial downfall, as he faced a series of charges including false imprisonment, assault, child abuse, and prostitution charges in the years that followed.
He eventually fled the US to live in Mexico after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he now resides at a luxurious resort with his wife and two kids.
Now, he is set to speak out for the first time in over a decade for Peacock's upcoming docuseries, Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story.
As the world gears up for the new show, FEMAIL has recapped the Girls Gone Wild franchise's wild rise and fall from start to finish.
From how the footage 'haunted' participants for decades to what happened to Joe after his empire came crashing down, here's an inside look into the dark history of the Girls Gone Wild videos.
Dazzling rise to the top: How Joe Francis launched a multi-million dollar soft porn business fresh out of college
Joe, now 51, started his career off by working as a production assistant at Real TV after he graduated from the University of Southern California in 1995.
He launched the Girls Gone Wild franchise in 1997, and within its first two years, the company had raked in a whopping $20 million.
The concept was simple - Joe would find college-aged women at parties during spring break and ask them to expose their chests on camera in exchange for free merchandise
The women would willingly take off their tops and make out with their friends, usually in a public setting like a club or party. Joe would then sell the videos to the public
The videos gained attention thanks to a series of informercials that would air late at night on TV.
The company became so big it even collaborated with stars like Snoop Dogg (seen), and launched its own magazine and clothing line
It was said that Joe was one of the first to take advantage of direct-response marketing techniques, and that he spent more than $20 million in advertising during the height of Girls Gone Wild's success.
His tactics paid off because by 2008, it was reported that his net worth had risen to roughly $150 million.
The company became so big it even collaborated with stars like Snoop Dogg, who appeared in a few of its videos throughout the 2000s, and Eminem, who reportedly filmed footage for a Girls Gone Wild video that never got released.
It was even announced in 2002 that MGM Studios had 'signed a deal' with Girls Gone Wild to bring its concept to the big screen, but the movie never ended up coming out.
'It's going to be a fictionalized version of Girls Gone Wild with love stories and everything in between,' Joe told Hollywood Reporter of the film at the time.
In addition, Girls Gone Wild had its own magazine and clothing line. It also expanded with Guys Gone Wild, which was the same concept but with men instead.
Controversial fall from grace: Girls Gone Wild faced a slew of lawsuits before Joe ultimately fled the US
The company eventually became shrouded in scandal, facing a slew of lawsuits from women who accused it of 'violating their privacy' and 'filming them without consent'
The franchise filed for bankruptcy after the court ruled that it 'failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers in sexually explicit films'
Despite the popularity, the company was facing a slew of controversies and lawsuits behind-the-scenes.
In the early 2000s, Girls Gone Wild was sued by a college student named Becky Lynn Gritzke, who claimed the company 'violated her privacy rights' by using photos and videos of her flashing her breasts to promote its videos. They settled the lawsuit privately, SPLC reported.
Then, in 2006, the company plead guilty 'to charges that it failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers in sexually explicit films that it produced and distributed, and that it failed to label its DVDs and videotapes as required by federal law.'
It was ordered to pay fines and restitution totaling $2.1 million, per a press release from the Department of Justice.
A woman named Ashley Dupré also sued the company in 2008, claiming that she was filmed without consent, but she later dropped the case.
In addition, another claimant named Tamara Favazza said that 'her bare breasts were recorded without permission' and used in one of the Girls Gone Wild videos in a 2008 lawsuit.
She alleged that she was partying at a St. Louis bar when 'someone lifted her tank top' and 'exposed her breasts' while another person filmed it, Huffington Post previously reported. She was ultimately awarded $5.8 million.
In 2013, Joe was sentenced to 270 days behind bars after he was found guilty of false imprisonment, assault, and dissuading a witness over an incident inside his Bel Air mansion in 2011.
To make matters worse, creator Joe (seen in 2008) faced a series of charges including false imprisonment, assault, child abuse, and prostitution charges in the years that followed
Prosecutors said at the time that he had taken three women home following a night out and refused to let them leave. He was also charged with attacking one of them.
Following his conviction, he told The Hollywood Reporter: 'I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f**king retarded.
In 2013, Joe was sentenced to 270 days behind bars after he was found guilty of false imprisonment, assault, and dissuading a witness over an incident in 2011
'You should be euthanized because, as Darwin said, you have naturally selected yourself.'
He later apologized for his tirade, describing his comments as 'hurtful' and that they did not reflect his true feelings.
That same year, Girls Gone Wild filed for bankruptcy. Joe then sold the company to the pornographic film studio Bang Bros in 2014, in a move that was an attempt to block Las Vegas kingpin Steve Wynn and his company from taking its assets.
Steve had been trying to claim the assets as a form of repayment for Joe's gambling bill and other debts, which had climbed to over $30 million.
In 2015, Joe pleaded no contest to child abuse and prostitution charges stemming from a Girls Gone Wild taping in Panama City, Florida, in 2003.
That same year, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to hand over two luxury cars to lawyers 'who sold the Girls Gone Wild name out of bankruptcy,' the Wall Street Journal reported.
He eventually fled the US to live in Mexico after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he now resides at a luxurious resort with his wife and two kids
Despite his numerous run-ins with the law, Joe has enjoyed a close relationship with stars like Mario Lopez (seen), the Kardashians, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, and Demi Moore
He reportedly said he couldn't return the cars because a strip-club owner in Mexico took them after several Girls Gone Wild promotions fell through.
He now lives in exile in Mexico at the luxury Cara Aramara resort that he built in the beach town of Punta de Mita with his wife, Abbey Wilson, and their two children.
Extradition is unlikely in his case as the warrant issued for his arrest is for civil contempt, which is not an offense in Mexico.
Despite his numerous run-ins with the law, Joe has enjoyed a close relationship with the Kardashian clan, who have frequently stayed at his resort in Mexico.
Other guests who have stayed at his luxurious 40,000-square-foot property include Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Demi Moore, Lady Gaga, and Charlie Sheen.
Speaking out: New docuseries will include in-depth interview with Joe for the first time in over a decade
Now, Joe has agreed to sit-down for his first in-person interview in over a decade for a new Peacock docuseries, entitled Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story
In addition, the series will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Girls Gone Wild, and will feature interviews with former employees and women who were featured in the videos
One woman (seen) could be heard saying in the trailer, 'I never thought that that would come back and haunt me for 20 years,' while another stated, 'I was too young to be taped'
Now, Joe has agreed to sit-down for his first in-person interview in over a decade for a new Peacock docuseries, entitled Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, which will premiere on December 3.
In addition, the series will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Girls Gone Wild, and will feature interviews with former employees and women who were featured in the videos.
'Before the spread of social media and easy access to online porn, Joe Francis' multi-million dollar Girls Gone Wild franchise, a series of tapes sold on late night television that featured young spring breakers baring their breasts for T-shirts and hats, had a shocking grip on popular culture,' reads the official description.
'Including Joe's first in-depth, in-person, on-the-record interview with a journalist in almost a decade, as well as exclusive access to his former employees, enemies, and survivors, Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story offers an astonishing and wide-ranging account of a man whose impact on American culture cannot be overstated, whose alleged sins are numerous, and who now lives in exile on a sprawling estate in Mexico amidst the rubble of his once mighty empire.'
One woman could be heard saying in the trailer, 'I never thought that that would come back and haunt me for 20 years,' while another stated, 'I was too young to be taped.'
An unnamed man also told filmmakers, 'It blew my mind what Joe Francis was able to convince these young girls to do.'
