Seth Rogen stands by the decision to end one of Hollywood’s most famous creative partnerships.
Years after James Franco’s career was derailed by sexual misconduct allegations, Rogen says nothing has changed regarding his current position, both professionally and personally.
Rogen was recently asked about his long-standing friendship with Franco, with whom he co-starred in a string of hits including Pineapple Express, This Is the End and The Interview, before publicly distancing himself from the actor following allegations that surfaced in 2018.
When asked how he decided to end such an important friendship, Rogen admitted that the topic remains very personal.
“I mean, I’m thinking about how much I want to share about this personally,” Rogen said on the New York Times’ podcast “The Daily.”
The interview noted that society continues to grapple with questions of accountability, forgiveness, and whether public figures who have committed wrongdoing should be reintroduced into people’s lives.
Rogen did not go into specifics, but made it clear that his position had not changed.
“Honestly, I think the nuances of that are too personal for me to go into right now. It’s a very personal thing, and I think there’s kind of a public facing aspect to it that I talked about. I’m taking the same stance publicly that I’ve always had,” Rogen said.
“And I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything. I haven’t worked with him in years anymore, but the personal side of it is just… so nuanced and people involved that I don’t know if I should get into this,” he continued.
“I don’t know what good it would be to go deeper into this issue at this moment, but I would like to say everything I’ve said… Nothing has really changed since the last time we talked about all of this.”
Rogen then made her clearest statement yet about the future of their relationship, saying, “I haven’t worked with him in a long time, and I have no plans to.”
When asked if he still talks to Franco, Rogen replied, “I haven’t talked to him in a long time.”
The comments come as Franco attempts to rebuild his acting career, years after multiple allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct surfaced.
The actor was first accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women in a Los Angeles Times report published in January 2018.
A year later, former students filed a class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging that the drama school that Franco and his associates co-founded with business partner Vince Jolivet had pressured students to perform explicit scenes in front of cameras and behaved inappropriately toward female students.
The suit alleges that the women paid monthly tuition to attend the school, were promised potential acting opportunities, and were treated as blackmail and sexual objects.
Franco agreed to settle the case in June 2021, signing a $2.235 million payment.
Despite the controversy, Franco slowly returned to acting and reflected on its impact in an interview with Variety in 2024 while promoting the Italian film Hey Joe.
“I’m so grateful to have the job,” Franco said. “I went through a lawsuit, and during that lawsuit, I wasn’t working. But then COVID-19 happened and everyone wasn’t working. So, I don’t know, it was all… I mean, we were all kind of in a situation where we were like, ‘I don’t know what I am.’
Franco also addressed the breakup of his friendship with Rogen, revealing that despite his efforts, the two have not reunited.
“No, I haven’t talked to Seth,” Franco told Variety. “I love Seth. We had 20 wonderful years together and I think it’s over. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. I told him how much he means to me.”
Franco is best known for his roles in “Spider-Man,” “127 Hours,” and other Hollywood hits.
