American actor and filmmaker James Franco has confessed to engaging in s**ual activities with students attending his acting school.

This admission comes four years following accusations of s**ual misconduct by five students and five months after he settled a class-action lawsuit for $2.2 million related to the case.

During an episode of the Jess Cagle Podcast on SiriusXM radio, Franco publicly discussed the allegations for the first time.

While he maintains his innocence regarding many of the claims made against him, he did admit to consensually being involved with his students, recognizing the impropriety of his actions.

In a candid statement, Franco expressed remorse, stating, “Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong.”

The controversy surrounding Franco surfaced in January 2018 when five women accused him of inappropriate behavior, which was later compounded by social media claims.

Among these accusations were reports from three women who attended Franco’s Studio 4 filmmaking school, detailing instances of his inappropriate conduct on set.

Allegations ranged from pressuring individuals to engage in s**ual acts for potential roles to exhibiting anger towards students who declined to remove clothing during filming.

Additionally, one former student disclosed feeling coerced into performing oral s** while in a romantic relationship with Franco.

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In response to the mounting accusations, two former students, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, initiated legal action against Franco in late 2019.

This lawsuit transformed into a class-action case that concluded in June with Franco agreeing to a substantial settlement for the plaintiffs and other affected students.

Franco defended himself in the recent interview, asserting that his intentions in establishing the school were not malicious.

He clarified, “But like I said it was not why I started the school and I wasn’t the person that selected people to be in the class so it wasn’t a master plan on my part.”

Acknowledging his lapse in judgment, Franco admitted to failing to recognize the inherent power dynamics between a teacher and student that impact consent.

Reflecting on his past actions, he conceded, “I suppose at the time, my thinking was if it’s consensual, okay.”

This marks the first extensive discussion Franco has had regarding the accusations brought against him.

He attributed his prolonged silence on the matter to the necessity of listening to those who expressed discontent with his behavior.

Notably, in 2014, Franco admitted to making inappropriate advances toward a 17-year-old girl online, further adding to the scrutiny surrounding his conduct.

JTA’s contribution to this report is duly recognized.