The shocking true story of Girls Gone Wild, explained 

Girls Gone Wild was a video company that dominated late-night television in the United States during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They mainly featured pixelated tapes of young college girls flashing their bodies on the cameras while partying at bars and spending their spring breaks in Miami.

The company advertised its tapes through info commercials, luring customers to buy its products. Launched in 1997, it quickly gained popularity across the United States, reportedly earning over $20 million within two years. By 2002, it became a major name in the adult entertainment industry, with commercials spanning over half an hour on major television networks.

However, the company faced a rapid decline and declared bankruptcy in 2013. The downturn was mainly due to legal troubles, as ex-employees accused the production crew, specifically founder Joe Francis, of s*xual abuse. The company's rise to fame and its sharp decline is documented in Peacock's three-part docuseries titled Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story, which premiered on December 3, 2024.

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What is the story of Girls Gone Wild?

Girls Gone Wild was started by Joe Francis in 1997 (Image via Pexels)

The founder of Girls Gone Wild, Joe Francis, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and his family moved to California when he was seven. Francis spent most of his childhood shifting between boarding schools before graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in 1995. His early jobs included working in a computer and video store.

He then began working as a production assistant for a television program called Reality TV, which showcased shocking real-life events often not covered by mainstream media. In 1997, Joe Francis started Girls Gone Wild back as a video company promoting soft po*rnography through info commercials on late-night television across the United States.

Initially, the tapes were distributed through VHS before shifting to DVDs. Their sales quickly rose, and at one point, Francis' net worth touched almost $100 million. However, the company soon faced serious legal troubles as employees reported an abusive working environment. Many women accused the production team of coercing them into engaging in s*xual acts without their consent.

In 2003, officials in Panama City Beach retrieved footage of over 30 underage girls, filming themselves in new titles of their videos. The Girls Gone Wild bus became infamous for explicit activities, with young women being forced to do more than what they enrolled for. The filming often involved coercion from the camera crew and production staff.

A leaked audio recording from 2005 revealed influential employees instructing the production crew to be aggressive with actresses and not take no for an answer. They were ordered to be persistent until the girls agreed.

Francis had previously been arrested for child trafficking and po*nography in 2003. In September 2006, he faced a jury and was fined $2.1 million along with 200 hours of community service. He was imprisoned in 2007 after refusing to settle racketeering charges put on him back in 2003. Following accusations of abusing minors, Francis was arrested again in 2011 for allegedly holding three women captive in his Hollywood house.

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What happened to Girls Gone Wild?

Joe Francis went into exile in Mexico (Image via Pexels)

In February 2013, GGW Brands, the parent company of Girls Gone Wild, filed for bankruptcy. This was mainly to protect its assets from being acquired by casino mogul Steve Wynn due to Francis' gambling debts.

A U.S. District Court judge issued an arrest warrant for him after he failed to abide by the bankruptcy agreement. Joe Francis fled to Mexico with his wife, Abbey Wilson, and their twin daughters.

As per a Showbiz CheatSheet article published on May 28, 2019, Joe Francis currently has a 45,000-square-foot mansion called Casa Aramara in Punta Mita, Mexico, estimated to be $10-15 million. Although it is rented for $35,000 per night, this income is insufficient to pay his debts. As reported by The Guardian on April 22, 2022, Joe Francis is currently estranged from Abbey Wilson.

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The Peacock docuseries Girls Gone Wild includes recordings of one-to-one conversations with Joe Francis himself. Check our other articles to learn more about the rise and fall of the company and its founder.