At the time that Full House creator Jeff Franklin was removed as showrunner of Netflix’s Fuller House and stripped of his overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, it was reported that he had been “verbally abusive” and made sexually inappropriate remarks in the writers room.
Fifteen months later, a new court filing reveals specific accusations leveled against the veteran TV producer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the allegations against Franklin predate the #MeToo movement, thus nullifying his argument that successor Bryan Behar was being opportunistic. As early as 2016, Warner Bros. launched an investigation over concerns about equal treatment for male and female writers. Among them were Franklin’s handling of pregnancy-related requests for time off to attend doctor appointments.
In November 2017, Warner Bros. launched a second investigation after another complaint was filed. This time around, Franklin was accused of creating a toxic environment. He reportedly boasted about weekend orgies, and insisted that female writers bring bikinis with them whilst visiting his mansion.
Franklin is also accused of complaining about having to hire women and people of color as directors. (He apparently claimed that female directors are “all the same.”)
The misogyny doesn’t end there. Referring to one female staffer, Franklin allegedly suggested that “she is probably going to be pregnant next season.” That was followed by a “wish” that he could “make all the women on my staff get hysterectomies.” Franklin is also said to have described one underage girl on set as “one nose job away from a good f—k.”
Franklin’s camp has yet to respond to these new, detailed disclosures.
“I’m heartbroken to be leaving Fuller House,” Franklin said in March 2018, soon after his firing. “Creating and running Full House and Fuller House has been the greatest joy. I wish the cast, my second family for over 30 years, continued success.” Since then, Franklin has filed a lawsuit against new Fuller House co-showrunner Bryan Behar. In the suit, Franklin claims that the Behar conspired to get him thrown off the Netflix spinoff.
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