Joe Francis’ Girls Gone Wild, Legal Revelations in Peacock Interview

Nothing was off limits during Joe Francis‘ rare interview for Peacock’s new docuseries about Girls Gone Wild, his legal issues and more.

Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, which premiered on Tuesday, December 3, centered around journalist Scaachi Koul‘s visit to Francis’ compound in Mexico. He refused to film video footage but permitted a tape recorder and a photographer for a nine-hour interview about Francis’ multi-million dollar empire — including its ultimate downfall after being plagued with controversies.

“Trust me, I do not accept interviews, so I am hoping you will do me right,” Francis told Koul. “Is this going to be a slam piece on me? Or what is it going to be?”

After Koul clarified she didn’t “write slam pieces” and would “only tell the truth,” Francis noted, “This is, honestly, it’s extremely hard for me to talk about this stuff.”

The three-part docuseries ultimately pulled back the curtain on Girls Gone Wild by using first-person accounts from former employees, survivors and Francis himself to help explain the company’s rise to fame. Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story didn’t shy away from addressing the numerous legal issues Girls Gone Wild — and Francis — faced before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and its owner moved to Mexico.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But if you just start at the core, I will work with you, however many hours, and peel back every layer and answer every f—ing question and show you every document,” Francis explained. “I would love for you to be able to nail me. ‘Oh, well, you did do that.’ I want that to be your goal. Nail me. F—ing nail me.”

The interview was initially published in 2023 for Huffington Post. At the time, Francis was notably displeased with the content, which he vocalized in several emails to Koul that were read in Peacock’s docuseries. Producers offered Francis the chance for a follow-up interview but he declined.

Keep reading for Francis’ first-person account of Girls Gone Wild‘s impact on pop culture — and what led to its demise:

Joe’s Upbringing

The docuseries started with Francis painting a picture of his childhood, saying, “I did this all by myself with incredible hard work. And it was all methodical. Let me just really take you back. I am a paper boy at like 7 years old. I have been an entrepreneur my whole life, always making money. My dad had a lot of financial problems so I ended up getting a special work permit so I could scoop ice cream.”

Francis claimed he was “supporting” his family at age 13 before going on to buy his “first jet 10 years later.” Koul noted in a separate confessional that they “couldn’t confirm” a lot of the details of Francis’ story of “rags to riches.”

“His father had a business in direct marketing and he was raised in Laguna Beach,” Koul shared about Francis’ life as a child which was allegedly “pretty affluent and pretty comfortable.”

Getting Into Entertainment — And the Early Days of ‘Girls Gone Wild’

Francis got his start as a production assistant for Real TV. After he noticed how much footage went un-aired because of regulations, Francis formed Banned from Television, which was marketed via infomercials as videos involving car accidents, violent attacks and other graphic events.

“That was my first hit out of the gate. And I knocked it out of the park with that. I created reality television,” he recalled. “I mean, really, Banned From Television, that was the first reality TV program.”

Francis expanded the venture in 1997 by separating videos of women exposing themselves on camera into its own franchise.

“It was extra footage on the tape and I called the guy and asked, ‘Do you have more of this?’ And he said yes. I drove to every video store from San Diego to north of the Valley. Just looking for anything like Girls Gone Wild,” he continued. “I couldn’t believe it. It was like, ‘No one’s doing this?’ It turned me on to see these girls on spring break because it was reality.”

He added: “I was everywhere. Girls Gone Wild commercials were ubiquitous. That would be the best way to describe it, the way I marketed my product.”

Francis subsequently made 20 million dollars in the first two years. By 2002, there were 83 different Girls Gone Wild titles produced.

The Immediate Issues With ‘Girls Gone Wild’

In the early days of Girls Gone Wild, there were multiple instances of minors being filmed for the tapes. (Former employees interviewed for Peacock’s docuseries said a system was put into place later to verify everyone’s age before they were filmed.)

“I don’t want minors in my s—. I don’t want to go to jail,” Francis said about the initial issues. “There’s no difference between an 18-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl. No f–ing difference. But an 18-year-old is legal so it can go in the video.”

Francis called himself “totally misunderstood,” adding, “I was the owner of a company. You can’t hold Jeff Bezos responsible for what one of his hundred thousand Amazon delivery guys does. If he pees in someone’s lawn — and that is basically what we are talking about right here.”

As Girls Gone Wild continued to find success, Francis recalled them having “problems licensing footage from other third parties.”

“So we had to take it over [in the early 200s]. We had three buses — we owned three million dollar tour buses — which toured the country and did events every single night,” he explained. “Three to four cameras [per bus] that would crisscross the country all the time.”

He continued: “There’s a production team already on the ground. They are stationed there and I move around for a month of spring break and go everywhere. Everywhere spring break was happening — in order to document it — I was.”

The Legal Issues in Panama City Beach

According to Francis and former legal counsel featured in the doc, there were several lawsuits that were brought against the business owner over the years. They were usually ruled in Francis’ favor until the Girls Gone Wild crew expanded to a town in Florida.

“I should have never gone to Northern Florida,” Francis told Koul before clarifying why they chose that location. “We shot in all spring break destinations.”

In 2003, officials in Panama City Beach attempted to halt Girls Gone Wild from filming. Francis responded by suing the town for violating his First Amendment rights.

“We had these cameramen being harassed. We had all of these things happening on the ground. I’m thinking, ‘Do we need it? Do we just pull out?’ I don’t need it on the ground,” Francis recalled. “And then the lawyers say [to me], ‘You sue them because they are violating your First Amendment rights.’”

The legal filing escalated the situation and Francis and cameraman Mark Schmitz were arrested for racketeering after a raid. Lee Sullivan, who was the mayor of Panama City at the time, discussed in the docuseries how events days prior led to their decision to file official charges against Francis and Schmitz.

Sullivan and other county officials interviewed several underage girls who claimed they had been filmed for Girls Gone Wild. Several of the girls told the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that they were invited to Francis rental property where two of them were filmed by Schmitz while another two were allegedly led by Francis into an adjoining room.

The anonymous girls — and Schmitz in the doc — claimed they were paid $100 each for the scene. Meanwhile the girls in the separate room with Francis were allegedly told to touch his genitals for $50 each. The girls claimed they were encouraged to lie about being 18 on the paperwork provided for the release and none of them provided proof of ID because they weren’t asked by production.

Francis denied the claims in his interview with Koul, writing in an email, “I was not involved in the filming of girls, and most certainly would never physically assault anyone ever.”

Bay County, however, didn’t focus primarily on the alleged filming of minors. Instead, officials claimed Francis was bringing narcotics into Florida — which he denied — and they seized 175 hours of raw footage from his hotel room. (The footage was later published by Francis as a separate tape. He was also released from jail after posting his $50,000 bond.)

A hearing in 2006 resulted in a judge disallowing most of the evidence and the charges were dismissed one year later. Francis pleaded no contest plea to child abuse and prostitution charges after agreeing to settle a 2003 lawsuit which involved allegations of videotaping the exposed breasts of underage girls.

“They showed fake IDs. They’re the ones that victimized us,” Francis said in the doc about how he “didn’t do anything wrong” during his time in Florida. “I believe, we all believe, that they were put up by the Panama City police and it was all an operation.” (Sullivan and Bay County sheriff Guy Tunnell both denied to Koul that law enforcement was involved in a setup.)

The Aftermath of the Panama City Issues

Francis went on to speculate that Florida officials were either “stupid” or wanted to “destroy” him.

“I’m a businessman. I own a huge company. I’m charming and good-looking. I’m a totally normal guy. If you really want to boil the whole thing down, it comes down to jealousy,” he noted. “Do you think they f—ed up or that they f—ed me? I’m June from The Handmaid’s Tale. Jesus Christ, right. He was a heretic, right? Went around and said, ‘I’m the son of God.’ They killed the guy.”

Francis concluded: “This is f—ed up. This happened in the United States, and it can happen to anyone. I walked into a f—ing snake pit.”

In a separate part of the interview, Francis said he paid around “300 million dollars” for all legal fees relating to the Panama City situation.

“Let’s say a lot. Let’s say north of 100 million dollars,” he clarified. “Let’s make it a vast difference. I don’t want to get into numbers because that is going to attract more lawsuits.”

The FBI Investigation

As Francis had ongoing legal issues in Florida, his office in Los Angeles was searched by the FBI. Francis said in Peacock’s doc that he was aware it was going to happen because he allegedly had “well-placed people in the White House” who tipped him off.

“I can’t tell you who but I would love to,” he added before hinting at President George W. Bush‘s Chief of Staff. Francis also shared a theory about why he thought Sullivan and other officials were targeting him at the time.

“They needed to distract from the war in Iraq and they decided to go after sex. Even when the FBI was raiding my office they were like, ‘We don’t want to be here. No one thinks this is right,’” he claimed. “Had we not invaded Iraq, unilaterally, this would have never happened.”

Koul noted there was no proof that Francis’ legal issues had anything to do with the war in Iraq. Francis ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of producing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct without keeping records on each performer. He was fined over a million dollars and sentenced to community service.

Joe’s Hollywood Connections

Despite his numerous legal issues, Francis and Girls Gone Wild continued to bring in money. Francis reflected on the influence of the franchise, saying, “It loosened everything up. It just made for a much more fun generation. It created the ability to have the Kardashians. It did so much more for society and life.”

The Huffington Post exposé from Koul included even more details, such as Francis’ claims he was involved in Kim Kardashian‘s 2004 sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray J.

“I did Kim’s sex tape,” he alleged. “I actually produced it. I brought the camcorder. I came down to Cabo to make the sex tape.”

Francis also claimed he wrote and produced the first few episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which he was not credited for on the show’s IMDB page. He told Koul during their in-person interview that he dated Kourtney Kardashian and showed a photo of the two of them in his office. (Kim, Kourtney and Kris Jenner didn’t respond to Koul’s request for comment on the claims.)

Various Arrests and Accusations

The docuseries also included footage of Jayde Nicole spilling a drink on Francis at a club in 2009. The encounter led to Francis allegedly pulling her hair, punching her and throwing her to the ground before kicking her. Francis would go on to publicly call this an “unprovoked attack” on him before the $1 million lawsuit was settled in 2010.

“You’ll never find anyone who has ever said that I have hit them or been violent against them,” Francis said in the doc. “Anyone I have ever dated ever. I’ve never been in a violent relationship. I’ve never been in a domestic violence relationship.”

In 2008, four women claimed that they suffered emotional distress by being shown in Girls Gone Wild footage. The lawsuit went to court in 2011 where an all-female jury declined to award damages to the plaintiffs. Before the decision was made, Francis represented himself for part of the trial before being cited for contempt of court and fined $2,500.

“I was vindicated in that trial and I did it myself,” Francis noted about the trial, which involved girls who were between the ages of 13 and 15 in the Girls Gone Wild tapes.

Elsewhere in the doc, Los Angeles Times reporter Claire Hoffman‘s encounter with Francis was mentioned. She wrote a profile of him in 2006 where she accused him of twisting her arm, pressing her against a car and trying to kiss her.

“She tried to kiss me and I wouldn’t kiss her! She was trying to hook up with me,” Francis told Koul while Hoffman declined to participate in the doc. “Totally unprofessional. And then she wrote a f—ing hit piece.”

While doing research for the exposé, Hoffman spoke to a girl named Jannel Szyszka who accused Francis of raping her when she was 17 years old. Francis issued a statement through his lawyers to Hoffman and the Los Angeles Times where he admitted to “consensual sex” with Szyszka.

“To your allegations that she said it hurt, though Mr. Francis cannot speak to Ms. Szyszka’s discomfort during the encounter, other news stories have commented that Mr. Francis is reputedly well-endowed,” the statement read.

Francis doubled down during his interview with Koul, adding, “By now there would be so many other girls saying I raped them if I had. I never raped a woman. Ever. Or a man. Or a child.”

Time Behind Bars

In 2007, Francis was indicted by a grand jury for two counts of tax evasion. He pleaded not guilty to tax evasion before changing his plea to misdemeanor counts of filing a false return and bribery. Francis received credit for time served after previously spending time in a Panama City jail — which was connected to his past child abuse and prostitution charges.

“I always said I’ll never look at a zoo the same way ever again,” Francis said of his time in prison. “I have so much PTSD.”

‘Girls Gone Wild’ Going Under

In 2012, businessman Steve Wynn was awarded $7.5 million after accusing Francis of making defamatory statements. He was later awarded $20 million by a jury in a slander case against Francis, which the Girls Gone Wild owner denied. The jury added an additional $20 million in punitive damages but that was ultimately reduced to $19 million.

Francis’s parent company for the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand filed for bankruptcy in 2013. The bankruptcy was meant to block Wynn Resorts from seizing the assets of the company for repayment.

Leaving the U.S. for Mexico

Francis was sentenced to 270 days in Los Angeles jail in 2013 after he allegedly took three women home, refused to let them leave and bashed one woman’s head against his tile floor. He never served any time despite a U.S. District Court judge later issuing an arrest warrant and Francis moved to Mexico with his then-girlfriend Abbey Wilson and their twin daughters.

“I disagree with the jury’s verdict as I am completely innocent of the charges and intend to appeal,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. “ I was afforded a fair trial, and if I lose at the appellate level, I will reluctantly but fully accept the jury’s verdict.”

Joe’s Ongoing Custody Battle

Francis and Wilson faced many public ups and downs before moving to Mexico. Audio footage in the doc from a 911 call showed Francis being violent toward Wilson, which he has denied. The former couple ended their relationship in 2020 and at the time signed a “concubinage termination” document in Mexico where they agreed that neither had been violent against the other — despite allegations from both sides.

Francis agreed to pay Wilson to find a new home but her attorney, Ronald Richards, claimed Francis has never paid what he allegedly owes his ex as a result of this agreement. Richards took part in the doc, which addressed Wilson’s claims against Francis in a 2022 protective order.

After Wilson moved back to Oklahoma County in 2021, she accused Francis in a petition of raping her, being physically abusive and kidnapping her and their daughters. Wilson went on to allege that he strangled her in front of their daughters. The order was granted for “domestic abuse and/or stalking,” and it stated that Francis was to have zero contact with Wilson — either directly or through a third party.

Francis is also barred from posting about Wilson on social media but has continued to do so in the years since their split. Francis, who has denied Wilson’s claims, has numerous posts on his Instagram accusing Wilson of kidnapping his kids by moving them to Oklahoma County and not allowing him to see his daughters.

“He has violated the protective order issued against him in Oklahoma,” Richards told Koul who confirmed that Francis told her he was having Wilson tracked in Oklahoma. Francis also allegedly showed photos his private investigator had taken of his children on their way to school.

Francis later emailed Koul claiming he is “the victim of a violent crime of kidnapping” and that Wilson stole thousands of dollars from him. “She is not a credible source,” he added before his Oklahoma attorneys stated they would be appealing the protective order.

“I have never raped a girl. I have never sexually assaulted a girl,” Francis told Koul in the doc. “And I’ve never had an unconsensual sexual experience. I want to go on the record with that.”

When Francis claimed he can’t be accused of raping his partner, Koul clarified that he actually could, to which he replied, “Oh. You can? OK.”

Koul said her research into Francis resulted in her finding 30 cases in Mexico involving him such as grievances, civil cases and disputes. In 2021, Francis was arrested for allegedly grabbing a woman by the neck and spitting on her after reportedly testing positive for COVID. The charges were dropped after the woman in question forgave Francis under the condition that he attend therapy.

The Aftermath

“Is this going to be one of those things where I have to go on record with all these things?” Francis asked Koul in their initial pre-interview conversation, according to her exposé. “I’m not going to answer all these questions. That’s as far as I’m going to go.”

Koul recalled receiving emails before the 2023 Huffington Post piece where Francis insulted her, allegedly writing, “YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIEING. AND YOU BETTER THINK TWICE.”

Francis was offered the chance to address any issues with the article for the doc, which he declined to do. He has continued to maintain his innocence and stand behind the Girls Gone Wild brand.

“[Having two daughters hasn’t changed my thoughts on Girls Gone Wild]. Not at all. It has reaffirmed my belief that all women are independent in their thinking and all women make their own decisions,” he said in the doc. “Women in Girls Gone Wild, they choose to be in Girls Gone Wild.”

He added: “Hundreds of thousands of women appeared on Girls Gone Wild just like hundreds of thousands of women appear on Instagram in their bathing suits and on Twitter topless. No one seems to care. They are free to do as they wish.”