Seth Rogen is opening up about ending his 20-year friendship with James Franco after he was hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit in 2018.
During an appearance on The New York Times’ The Daily podcast on Saturday, June 13, the actor and comedian was asked how he navigated the situation, and whether he believes in second chances.
“I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now,” Rogen, 44, began hesitantly. “It is a very personal thing, and I think there’s like the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had.” “And I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything,” he continued. “I have not worked with him in years, you now, but the personal side of it is just… it’s so nuanced and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this.”
Rogen and Franco first worked together on the 1999 teen comedy series Freaks & Geeks. Over the next two decades, they went on to collaborate on several hit projects, including Pineapple Express, This is the End and The Interview. Their last collaboration was on the 2019 comedy-drama Zeroville.
Franco, 48, was first accused of sexually inappropriate conduct by five women in a Los Angeles Times report published in January 2018. One year later, he was hit with a class action lawsuit by former students at his acting school, who accused him and his associates of pressuring them into performing explicit scenes.
In 2021, the Spider-Man actor settled the lawsuit for $2.235 million. At the time, Rogen officially ended his working relationship with Franco. “What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that,” he told the Sunday Times.
In 2024, Franco revealed that he hasn’t spoken to Rogen for some time. I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” he told Variety. In his The Daily podcast interview, Rogen confirmed that he still hasn’t spoken to Franco. “I haven’t worked with him in a really long time, and I have no plans to,” Rogen reiterated. “I haven’t talked to him in a long time.”