It looks like the James Franco Instagram scandal was real, and really embarrassing for the star, who apologized for it on Live with Kelly and Michael today. If you missed it, screen grabs of the actor flirting with a teenage girl via Instagram went viral, and were apparently not a hoax to promote his movie Palo Alto . “I was feeling awkward … I didn’t want to come on the show and just feel awkward,” James Franco, 35, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. “I’m embarrassed, and I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky.” James Franco on Live with Kelly and Michael “It’s the way that people meet each other today, but what I’ve learned – I guess because I’m new to it – is you don’t know who’s on the other end.” “You get a feel for them, you don’t know who you’re talking to,” he lamented, adding that by any measure. “I used bad judgment and learned my lesson.” On April 3, images surfaced of an exchange between Franco and 17-year-old fan Lucy Corde, whom he asked, “What’s the hotel? Should I rent a room?” When Corde replied that his comment could have been part of an April Fool’s joke, Franco sent a selfie confirming it was him, then kept on flirting. Eventually, when he learned his young admirer was not 18, James bailed on the conversation, but soon enough, it became a nationally trending story. James Franco Tries to Pick Up Girl Online Open Slideshow 1. James Franco Instagram Seduction! Did James Franco try to seduce a teenager online? A series of screen shots alleges as much. See for yourself and decide. View As List 1. James Franco Instagram Seduction! Did James Franco try to seduce a teenager online? A series of screen shots alleges as much. See for yourself and decide. 2. James Franco Instagram Flirting WARNING: Alleged James Franco Instagram seduction in progress. 3. James Franco on Instagram Did James Franco try to seduce a teen online via Instagram?! 4. James Franco Instagram Screen Shot Did James Franco try to seduce a teenager online? An Instagram screen shot sequence suggests so. But is it even real? 5. Admission of Guilt? You be the judge. James looked visibly nervous discussing the exchange (above). Many people speculated that it was a clever ploy to publicize his new movie, in which he plays a teacher who falls for a student (Emma Roberts, below). This is either not the case, or he’s a really, really good actor. Franco looked uncomfortable discussing the situation, so Ripa tried to lighten the mood. “I promise I will not reveal our text messages,” she quipped. “Unfortunately in my position, not only do I have to go through the embarrassing rituals of meeting someone, but if I do, it gets published for the world,” he said. “So it’s doubly embarrassing.” James Franco Hits on Teenager Online Palo Alto Trailer

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James Franco Admits Instagram Hookup Attempt, Using "Bad Judgment"