EXCLUSIVE: Mario Lopez Defamation Accuser Sues 'Inside Edition' and Paramount for $100million – And Name Drops Disgraced Actor James Franco In Her Bombshell Lawsuit
Desiree Townsend has brought friend James Franco into her legal case against Mario Lopez and 'Inside Edition'.
July 21 2025, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
The former NFL cheerleader who is suing Mario Lopez for defamation has unleashed the same accusations on the TV show Inside Edition and its production partners, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report.
Plus, she's bringing her friend and disgraced actor James Franco along for the ride for justice.
Lopez has yet to take down a post the former cheerleader said slanders her.
Desiree Townsend has sued Inside Edition, CBS Broadcasting and parent company Paramount Global for defamation, emotional distress and disability discrimination for airing and then never taking down the initial 2010 report that she claims triggered the slander from Lopez.
In an amended complaint obtained by RadarOnline.com, Townsend is asking for $100million from the three parties for her pain.
And she's also using her new lawsuit to stand up for Franco, who she says had his career ruined after the program aired an interview with three women who accused him of sexual abuse.
Townsend exclusively told Radar: "Very few people on this planet can truly comprehend the level of pain and suffering that Inside Edition inflicted on James and I.
"They didn’t just defame us, they systematically dismantled our careers, destroyed our futures, isolated us from our communities, and purposefully left us struggling to survive financially."
New Accusations
Townsend has added Inside Edition, CBS and Paramount to her lawsuits.
Franco's career unraveled in 2018, when he was hit with sexual harassment allegations by five women who attended Studio 4, his Los Angeles acting school.
The Pineapple Express star confessed to using his teaching position to seduce some of his female students and ultimately ended up paying $2.2million to two of his accusers.
Franco blamed his actions on "sex addiction" and insisted he'd been undergoing treatment for years. Townsend said it's time for him to find justice as well.
"What they did went far beyond defamation, it was so malicious it bordered on attempted murder," she told Radar. "And I will hold Inside Edition and their parent company accountable for every single thing they did to us."
Turning Her World 'Inside' Out
Lopez angrily dismissed a served summons.
Townsend has pledged to give Franco half of the damages, explaining "James cannot bring a claim himself, which is why I’ve named him as a beneficiary of any award or settlement I obtain."
She has also pledged to donate any profits from her lawsuit against Lopez to the Women in Media organization.
"At the end of the day, all of this began with Inside Edition," she said. "And they will be held accountable for what they did to both me and James."
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Decades of Defamation
She has pledged to split any judgement with Franco.
Townsend earned the nickname "Flu Shot Cheerleader" more than 15 years ago, when she was the subject of an Inside Edition story about claims a seasonal flu shot left her with a rare neurological condition that caused her to slur her speech and convulse sporadically.
The tabloid program approached Townsend days later, challenging her after she seemed to show no lasting signs of her disorder. Townsend has since clarified that she was suffering from Stiff-Person Syndrome, the same condition suffered by Celine Dion.
Decades later, Townsend contends her name and reputation were dragged through the mud again by Lopez after the former Saved by the Bell star randomly shared the Inside Edition story on Instagram while captioning his post: "There’s gotta be some kind of award for this performance," while adding the hashtags #MethodActor and #OscarWorthy.
While Inside Edition has taken down the video of the story, a written summary remains online. Lopez has left his post and a reaction on his feed as well for all to see. Townsend's lawsuit against Lopez continues to develop.
