The world will never see Joe Francis’ first-hand experience going wild on camera, as the raunchy footage has been returned to the “Girls Gone Wild” honcho, thanks to Vivid Entertainment CEO, Steve Hirsch.
News broke earlier this month that a “hardcore” sex tape starring Francis and his girlfriend Abbey Wilson was pilfered off of Wilson’s iPad and was being shopped to various media outlets, The Post confirmed. The tycoon — recently convicted of misdemeanor counts of assault and false imprisonment — threatened criminal and civil action if the video was ever released.
But thanks to Hirsch— a pal and fellow skin-flick peddler — the tape will never see the light of day, TMZ reports. He apparently bought it from the seller for an unknown amount, then gave it right back to Francis.
Hirsch told the gossip site that “because of the time-sensitive nature of the situation I made a decision to expedite the process and return the movie to its original owner.”
The video is said to be of professional quality. “I’m a connoisseur of pornography,” Francis told The Post. “I’m Steven Spielberg when it comes to this.”
Francis and Wilson are appearing on a VH1 reality show, “Couples Therapy,” but he denies he is pulling a Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian porn leak to boost ratings.
“We will never sign a release. You will never see this tape. This is not a publicity stunt,” Francis said.