Seth Rogen said in a recent interview with The New York Times that he has not spoken with James Franco in a long time and has no plans to work with him again. Rogen declined to go into the personal details of their relationship, saying the situation is too nuanced to discuss publicly and that he sees no benefit in revisiting it. He said his public position has not changed and pointed to the fact that he has not collaborated with Franco in years.
The comments come after years of scrutiny surrounding Franco, whose career was damaged in 2018 when five women accused him of sexually exploitative behavior, including allegations from former acting students. In 2019, two of the women filed a class action lawsuit accusing him of inappropriate conduct toward female students and of using his position as a teacher and employer to pressure them. Franco later settled that case in 2021 for $2.23 million.
Rogen and Franco were once closely linked on screen and behind the scenes. Their collaboration began with Paul Feig’s short-lived NBC series Freaks and Geeks, where Rogen played one of the teen characters and Franco appeared as a popular older student. They later teamed up in several comedy projects that became staples of 2000s and 2010s pop culture, including Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, This Is the End and The Interview. Their partnership helped define a long stretch of Rogen’s early film career and Franco’s comedic image in Hollywood.
Rogen has previously addressed the possibility of working with Franco again. In a 2021 interview with The Sunday Times, he said he regretted remarks he made in 2018 suggesting a future reunion was possible. At the time, Rogen made clear that he had not worked with Franco since and did not plan to do so. His latest comments to The New York Times reinforce that stance.
Franco also spoke publicly about the end of their relationship in a 2024 interview with Variety, saying he had not spoken with Rogen but still had affection for him and reflected on their long professional history. Franco said they shared many good years together, though he suggested the partnership had ended.
The new remarks from Rogen underscore how far the once-celebrated comedy duo has drifted apart. What was once one of Hollywood’s most recognizable creative pairings has not resulted in any recent collaboration, and Rogen’s latest interview makes clear that a reunion is not expected.
