In the internet age, adult content is readily accessible with the touch of a few buttons, but in the late ’90s, the entire landscape of the entertainment industry looked much different. For instance, Girls Gone Wild infomercials aired on late-night cable television, advertising direct-to-you videos of young women at college town sports bars, or on spring break flashing their unmentionables to the cameramen working for Mantra Films. The ads encouraged viewers to pay for VHS tapes (and later DVDs) full of uncensored cuts, but few people realized that full-on hardcore scenes were part of the package too. While OnlyFans and other online platforms now make it easier than ever for X-rated content creators to profit off their bodies and sexuality, GGW founder Joe Francis lives a life of recluse in Mexico, having fled the United States during the appeals process of a 2011 case regarding an alleged assault.
Peacock’s new docuseries, Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, premiered on the streamer on Dec. 3. It introduces younger generations who might be familiar with the embattled brand and sheds light on how Francis’ work continues to impact women nationwide decades later. The project was directed by Jamila Wignot and based mostly on reporting by journalist and co-executive producer Scaachi Koul, who crossed the border in 2022 to interview Francis and hear his side of the story.
Who Is the Founder of ‘Girls Gone Wild’?
Before Girls Gone Wild was embroiled in controversy, Francis spent his spare time partying with the Kardashian family and Ashton Kutcher. Avid viewers of Keeping Up With the Kardashians might recall that youngest sister Kylie Jenner had her 18th birthday at Francis’ mansion in Mexico, but it’s worth noting this was one of the last times he was publicly seen with the famous clan.
Since he’s been out of the public eye for so long, little is known about the 51-year-old businessman’s day-to-day affairs. After interviewing him for her docuseries, Koul was able to speak with Variety about her observations. “He is overwhelming. You can hear that in the tape. He’s scary. All these other women are going to tell you in this documentary, how afraid they are of him and the kind of infrastructure he builds. And he’s exhausting,” the journalist vented. Additionally, she noted Francis’ controversial take on a person not being able to sexually assault their own spouse (something he’s been accused of by ex his, Abbey Wilson). Koul noted, “It is a fact you can, so his version of the world is very different from mine.”
Former Girls Gone Wild employees are among those who speak out in the Peacock project, alleging Francis encouraged them to use coercive tactics while recruiting women for their films. In 2013, the company president was convicted of holding three women (one of whom he allegedly assaulted) in his Los Angeles home against their will. Francis was sentenced to 270 days in jail but fled to Mexico during the appeals process.
Documentary Reveals How Explicit Content Follows Women Decades Later
Elsewhere, The Untold Story offers perspective from once-young women who agreed to appear on camera and still feel the repercussions to this day. Several of those interviewed said that “people still message them online or brazenly come up to them in person asking for autographs or to solicit further adult content,” per Variety.
Before he fled, Francis faced months of jail time and persistent legal action in Panama City Beach; there, officials allege his company filmed underage girls. Participants also sued Francis for not properly preparing or compensating them for their involvement. Beyond the flashing teased in the aforementioned infomercials, women would reportedly sometimes be “plied with alcohol as they filmed hardcore scenes.” In the docuseries, viewers learn that company training videos instructed camera operators to ignore consent and not take no for an answer from amateur performers.
Where Is Joe Francis Now?
From his home in Mexico, Joe Francis “vehemently and repeatedly denies all allegations against him,” Variety reports. In her nine hours of audio tapes, Koul heard the controversial figure call himself a victim, though she says he’s doing relatively well for himself in hiding. “It’s a beautiful house, I’ll say that. He lives a very glamorous existence certainly, insofar as a proverbial exile would go. I mean, it is a nice life. I do think he is into a lot of myth-making,” the journalist shared.
“I think he believes in the story he is telling about how his company came to be and his role as the scion of it or the arbiter of this particular kind of culture,” Koul continued. “But as for the interview, when I got in touch with him I said it was because I saw there were irregularities with what happened in Panama City, and I think he still thinks about that. He really views the cases that he had there as kind of the epicenter for how the company started to fall apart because there were so many issues that he kept getting brought back there. And he was scared of jail.”
Overall, several key factors led to the demise of Girls Gone Wild. Francis’ mounting legal fees and settlements chipped away at his fortune, as did his messy feud with Las Vegas legend Steve Wynn. Finally, the shift toward social media and the digital world has practically put adult video stores out of business. Francis’ ex-partner and their children have reportedly left him, but as recently as November 2024 he was posted up with former child star Mario Lopez on Instagram.
After getting to know the mastermind behind the machine, Koul thinks the biggest punishment for Francis would be irrelevancy, although she’s not sure that will ever happen. “I do think Joe is afraid of being irrelevant. But more than that, he wants to be viewed as somebody who brought something positive into the world, and that I think is very much up for debate. So he will be relevant forever, sure. But what he has given us, I think it depends who you ask and the day you ask it,” she said.
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