Back in college, some friends and I were hanging out one night, discussing the finer things in life like Tolstoy, blended Scotch and pissing in kitchen sinks, when a commercial for Girls Gone Wild came on. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, because Comedy Central used to air those damned commercials every two minutes back in the day. But this time it was a special moment, because as we watched this particular commercial, one of my friends shouted, “Bro, isn’t that your ex-girlfriend?” And indeed it was. Never had I been prouder to be alive.
Alas, college bros and babes today may not get to experience that joy, as Girls Gone Wild owner and supreme douche-being Joe Francis has announced that his empire of parental humiliation is filing for bankruptcy. You know, just like all of the other great American companies.
“Yesterday several of the U.S. operating entities for Girls Gone Wild joined the ranks of companies like American Airlines and General Motors having sought reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy code. Girls Gone Wild remains strong as a company and strong financially,” the company told TheWrap in a statement Thursday. “The only reason Girls Gone Wild has elected to file for this reorganization is to re-structure its frivolous and burdensome legal affairs. This Chapter 11 filing will not affect any of Girls Gone Wild’s domestic or international operations. Just like American Airlines and General Motors, it will be business as usual for Girls Gone Wild.” (Via the Toronto Sun)
To be clear, those “frivolous and burdensome legal affairs” include: shady marketing that didn’t alert consumers that they were not only purchasing one DVD but they would also be charged for every DVD after that; an employee forgetting to ask girls if they were 18 and documenting such information accordingly; and a number of women who have come forward to claim that either they were filmed without consent or they have suffered emotional distress or some bullsh*t like that.
But since most of those have already been settled or dismissed, it’s pretty clear that Girls Gone Wild filed bankruptcy to avoid paying casino owner Steve Wynn a $10.3 million debt. Either way, it won’t affect Francis’ personal assets, so he’s free to keep fist-pumping his way around the world in his private jet.
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