Seth Rogen has addressed the status of his relationship with James Franco after Franco shared last year that their friendship had ended following ’20 great years together’.
The pair had been long-time friends, having first collaborated on the 1999 cult TV series Freaks and Geeks.
They have teamed up on numerous projects over the years, including Pineapple Express, The Interview, This Is The End, and The Disaster Artist.
In 2018, several women, including four of Franco’s former students, accused him of inappropriate or exploitative sexual behavior.
A year later, actors Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal filed a lawsuit, alleging Franco engaged in “sexually charged behavior towards female students” at his acting school, which has since closed.
Franco denied the 2018 allegations as “not accurate,” but it was reported in 2021 that he agreed to a $2.23 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit.
These events contributed to a rift in his relationship with Rogen.
In response to Franco’s comments about their friendship, Rogen told Esquire: “Honestly, I absorb so little media that it really wasn’t on my radar.”
The publication noted that while Rogen was not surprised by the question, he was clearly displeased by it.
Rogen has previously spoken about his past friendship with Franco and mentioned his initial support before more allegations surfaced.
In an interview with The Times, Rogen stated, “I also look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now.”
Last year, Franco reflected on his relationship with Rogen.
“No. I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over,” Franco told Variety.
“And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me.
“Being told you’re bad is painful.
“But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.”
In light of the allegations, Franco stepped back from Hollywood, using his time for personal growth.
He added: “Whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life.
“So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was.”