Seth Rogen Says His Rift With James Franco Has Not Changed

Seth Rogen says his relationship with James Franco remains effectively over, years after sexual misconduct allegations against Franco upended their long Hollywood partnership. In a new interview with The New York Times, Rogen said, “Nothing has changed since the last time I talked about it, and I haven’t worked with him in a long time, and I have no plans to do so.” He added that he had not spoken with Franco in a long time.

Rogen and Franco were close friends for years and worked together on projects including “Freaks and Geeks,” “The End,” “The Night Before,” “Pineapple Express” and “The Interview.” Their relationship changed after accusations surfaced in 2014, and Rogen eventually said he would not work with Franco again.

In 2014, a 17-year-old girl revealed messages in which Franco tried to arrange a hotel meeting with her. Although 17 is the age of consent in New York, where the incident took place, Franco was 35 at the time. After confirming the messages were real, Franco tweeted, “I hope parents keep their teens away from me.” Over the years, more allegations followed, including claims from actresses and acting students about inappropriate behavior, sexual leverage during auditions, and unwanted conduct in class. A class-action lawsuit by two former students against his Los Angeles acting school, which closed in 2017, ended in a settlement.

Rogen initially defended Franco in public and even joked about the scandal while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2014. But in a 2021 interview with The Sunday Times, he said he “detest[s] abuse and harassment” and regretted the joke, calling it “a terrible joke, honestly.” When asked then about working with Franco again, Rogen said he was no longer planning to do so and that the allegations had changed their relationship and dynamics.