Is James Franco Jewish?

Dan MacMedan/USA Today

Published August 20, 2021

It’s a right of Jewish passage to wonder who out there in the world is Jewish too, especially famous people like actors, singers, athletes, and even social media stars and YouTubers. It’s just something we do.

So, to better answer the question about whether that person is Jewish or not, we’re partnering with Team JONJ at Jew Or Not Jew, a website dedicated to this exact topic. The site is hilarious so please give them a read, so they’ll stay partners with us.

James Franco

We used to think that James Franco was just a pretty boy actor, another young wannabe destined to fizzle out (sadly, we missed “Freaks and Geeks”, or we might have thought otherwise).But then, something happened. First, he was the best part of the somewhat regrettable “Pineapple Express”, playing a Jewish stoner. Then, he started to take on meaty roles, such as in “Milk” and “127 Hours”. And then, he completely went off the rails, starred in a soap opera, did performance art, posed in drag, and hosted the Oscars in such a way that led many to question if he was permanently stoned in real life as well.

So is he a pretty boy, or… just wickedly smart? For Franco has a Masters from Columbia and is doing his PhD in English and Yale. For all his stunts seem to have a mischievous undertone.

And if it’s the latter, can we take seriously anything he says or does? For example, when he claims he wants a Spider-Man themed bar mitzvah (remember, he was the Harry Osborn in “Spider-Man” films) to make up for lost time (he wasn’t raised Jewish, but is Halachically so), is he just pulling our leg? Or would his bar mitzvah be another performance art piece, with him winking at the world from behind the Torah?

Hmmm. We’d actually like to see that.

Verdict: Jew.