Vanity Fair cover: James Franco digitally removed from Hollywood edition after sexual misconduct accusations

James Franco has been digitally removed from Vanity Fair's latest cover, following accusations of sexual misconduct.

The "Hollywood Portfolio" issue is an annual highlight for the magazine, in which a collection of the year's most notable stars, traditionally shot by Annie Leibovitz, gather together for the most glamorous of spreads.

The Hollywood Reporter has cited multiple sources familiar with shoot, stating that James Franco had sat for both a photo shoot and interview for this year's edition, and was set to be included on the final, triple panel cover.

That, however, changed during the Golden Globes and his win for The Disaster Artist, when several women came forward with accusations against Franco on Twitter, including some now-deleted statements from Ally Sheedy claiming men like Franco was the reason she left the industry.

Several days later, the Los Angeles Times published the allegations of five women accusing him of sexually exploitative behaviour. An attorney acting on behalf of the actor has disputed the allegations.

Since subjects are often shot separately in small groups and then digitally composed together, Franco's removal did not require a reshoot, with the actor merely being scrubbed out of the final cover.

A Vanity Fair spokesperson confirmed the news, stating: "We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him."

The final cover features Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks, Michael B. Jordan, Zendaya, Jessica Chastain, Claire Foy, Michael Shannon, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Vanity Fair's editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, and Robert De Niro.

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