Not backing down. Joe Francis recently came under fire after he shared a throwback photo of himself “checking out” a then 18-year-old Kylie Jenner — and the Girls Gone Wild founder doesn’t see the problem.
“Happy Birthday @kyliejenner!! I’m so proud of you and all your success!!” Francis, 49, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, August 10. “It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating your 18th birthday together [at the Casa Aramara resort in Punta de Mita, Mexico] ❤️🎉🍾💕.”
The photo, which was meant to celebrate Jenner, 25, turning another year older, seemingly featured the Georgia native glancing down at the Kylie Cosmetic founder’s backside while they partied with friends on a yacht in 2015.
Social media users quickly took to the comment section to question Francis’ picture choice, with one person writing, “You didn’t have a better picture — one where you weren’t checking her out?”
Francis, however, quickly defended his actions, claiming in a now-deleted reply that “all straight men are looking at beautiful women.”
He added, “That’s why I’m so successful. Are you saying you hate God for making us this way? No other straight man is different or girls gone wild wouldn’t have made billions of dollars.”
The filmmaker then claimed the commenter was “the creepy one” and that Jenner is “like a sister” to him. “Why would you even think that? I used to date her sister @kourtneykardash,” he wrote. “I have three sisters too. I would never ever have sex with my sisters. That’s gross!!”
Over the years, Francis has faced various legal issues. In 2011, he was arrested and charged with three counts of false imprisonment, one count of assault causing great bodily injury and one count of dissuading a witness after he allegedly attacked another woman and bashed her head into his tile floor, according to NBC news.
In April, a sneak peek of TNT’s new anthology series Rich & Famous alleged that Francis “tricked” women into “a child pornography film” for his Girls Gone Wild franchise.
At the time Francis’ latest Instagram snap was taken, Jenner was dating rapper Tyga, who was allegedly also on the birthday trip. However, the two called it quits in 2017 and the California native moved on with Travis Scott. The pair share two children together, daughter Stormi and a son, who they welcomed in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
These days, Stormi — and her baby brother — have become the main focus of the Kardashians star and Cactus Jack founder, though a source told Us Weekly in May that the twosome have “not ruled [a potential engagement] out” of the equation.
“The priority has been about taking care of the kids,” the insider explained to Us at the time. “Keeping things between themselves calm and chilled and setting up boundaries that will give them the best chance of staying together in the long term … She does like her independence but can’t imagine herself long-term with anyone other than Travis.”
