'Girls Gone Wild' Creator Joe Francis Engaged to CBS Entertainment Reporter

Joe Francis (AP)

Lady-loving "Girls Gone Wild" tycoon Joe Francis is getting hitched, the New York Post reported Friday.

Francis, 37, proposed to Los Angeles' CBS News entertainment reporter Christina McLarty -- niece of Mack McLarty, former White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton -- while vacationing in St. Tropez. But it will not be a traditional wedding.

"We have chosen to have a civil domestic partnership because we don't believe it's appropriate to be married until our gay and lesbian friends are afforded the same rights as us to legally marry in the United States," Francis told the Post.

The couple were dating on and off for nearly four years, during which Francis -- who spent 339 days in jail battling various charges in Florida and Nevada -- also went to court against casino developer Steve Wynn over a $2 million gambling debt, and the IRS, which seized $100 million from his bank accounts.

The proposal to McLarty was obviously made on impulse. When asked about the ring, Francis said, "We're having one made."

The happy lovebirds were giddily planning the ceremony with 200 guests for sometime in September at Casa Aramara, Francis' lavish beach front estate in Punta Mita, Mexico.

Francis revealed, "The weekend will be fun, luxurious and filled with lots of surprises." Quincy Jones, his longtime neighbor in L.A.'s upscale Bel Air, will serve as best man.