Seth Rogen has briefly addressed where things stand with James Franco, years after their friendship fell apart following allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior against the Spider-Man actor.
The two actors rose through Hollywood on similar tracks after first appearing together in the 1999 cult series Freaks and Geeks, and they went on to collaborate repeatedly over the years, including on Pineapple Express, This Is the End and The Disaster Artist.
That relationship ultimately came to an end in 2018, when five women – including four former acting students – accused Franco of sexually inappropriate behavior.
Two of those women later brought a sexual misconduct lawsuit against him, which was settled in 2021 for $2.23 million.
According to court filings, Franco allegedly “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behaviour towards female students, by sexualizing his power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects”.
After the allegations surfaced, Rogen said in a 2021 interview that he did not plan to work with Franco again, marking a clear break from their long-running creative partnership.
Rogen has rarely spoken publicly about the breakdown of their friendship, but he touched on it again in a 2025 interview with Esquire after Franco said last year that their friendship was over.
“I haven’t talked to him in a long time, no,” he admitted.
The actor and comedian added: “I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing.
“There’s 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 – I have not worked with him in years.”
Franco later reflected on the end of the friendship, saying the pair had shared a “great 20 years together”.
“I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over,” he said in 2024 while speaking to Variety.
Rogen also told the New York Times: “The personal side of it is just so nuanced, and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this.
“I don’t know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it.”
He went on to say that “nothing has changed” from his perspective, adding that he has “no plans” to work with Franco again.
The last time the two were publicly photographed together was at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, where they were recognized for directing and producing The Disaster Artist.
Since then, Rogen has continued to focus on projects including his Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, while Franco has largely remained outside the pair’s old collaborative orbit.