Where Is Joe Francis Now? All About the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founders Life Today [Video]

In 1997, Joe Francis launched Girls Gone Wild, building a controversial multimillion-dollar empire that shaped (and polarized) pop culture in unexpected ways.

The Atlanta native first got the idea to create a provocative video series featuring young women partying and baring it all during spring break while working as a production assistant on Real TV after college. This concept laid the foundation for Girls Gone Wild, the infamous adult entertainment franchise that quickly became a cultural phenomenon.

Over the years, Francis faced a string of legal troubles, including allegations of tax evasion (per Forbes), sexual misconduct and disputes over defamation, according to the The Hollywood Reporter. Despite numerous lawsuits — some dismissed, others settled — his legal troubles culminated in May 2013, when he was sentenced to 270 days in jail for a 2011 incident involving three charges: false imprisonment, assault causing great bodily injury, and dissuading a witness, according to NBC News.

In his …