James Franco
James Franco is not happy with Vanity Fair’s decision to edit him out of their annual holiday cover. Pictured: Franco attends the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 21, 2018 in Los Angeles. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Turner

James Franco was removed from the cover of Vanity Fair’s annual Holiday issue after reports about his sexual misconduct came to light last year.

The original photo was supposed to feature Franco in between Harrison Ford and Michael Shannon. However, the actor was edited out from the snap for very obvious reasons.

A source recently told Entertainment Tonight that Franco was hurt because he was removed from the publication’s cover. “He was supposed to be on this cover with all these Hollywood icons. It’s a very momentous moment. Opportunities like this don’t come around often,” the source said.

The source revealed that the cover was shot a couple of months before Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by five women. “I don’t know when they decided to remove him. James knew he was being cut as soon as the story about his inappropriate behavior broke. He’d been bracing for the fallout,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Franco was also snubbed out of a best actor nomination at this year’s Oscars. The actor won best actor at the Golden Globes earlier this month for his role in “The Disaster Artist.” His big win led fans to think that he will also be recognized at the Oscars.

Following the snub, a second source revealed that the actor is not doing well. “The story has gotten away from him. He hoped that by keeping quiet, this would blow over. But even with industry friends coming to his side, things are spiraling downward,” the source said.

The Los Angeles Times first reported about Franco’s sexual misconduct on Jan. 11. Four of Franco’s former students accused him of sexual assault. A fifth woman, who worked with Franco, also accused the actor of the same thing. Franco has since denied the allegations during his appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”

Following the allegations, a source said that Franco’s friends are worried about the actor. “He’s not in a good place. They’re watching him around the clock. He’s really struggling,” another source said.

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