Why Seth Rogen and James Franco ended their 25-year friendship

As two of comedy’s most renowned talents, Seth Rogen And James Franco had a long history of emulating each other and collaborating. However, all this came to an end in 2018.

Pineapple Express actors first worked together on the 1999 show Freaks and Geeks when both were just starting their careers in Hollywood. They have since become a dynamic duo, starring together in hit 2007 comedies. pregnant until 2017 Disaster Artist.

However, in 2018, five women, four of whom were his acting students, accused Franco of sexually inappropriate behavior V Los Angeles Times article. The following year, two of the four former students entered file a sexual harassment claim against the actor he agreed two years later.

The allegations appear to have caused a rift between Franco and his longtime friend, as Rogen revealed Sunday Times in May 2021 he had no plans for the future work with Franco.

“What I can say is that I despise abuse and harassment, and I would never hide or cover up the actions of someone who does this, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that.” human,” Rogen said.

Three years later, Franco admitted to Diversity in October 2024, that it friendship with Rogen was never restored.

“I haven’t talked to Seth. “I love Seth, we had 20 wonderful years together, but I think it’s over,” he said.

So what happened between Seth Rogen and James Franco? Here’s everything you need to know about why their 25-year friendship came to an end.

How did Rogen and Franco’s friendship begin?

Rogen and Franco first met on the set of the film Freaks and Geeks when Rogen was 17 and Franco was 22. After that, they did not work together for some time until they reunited in 2008. Pineapple ExpressRogen admitted on CBS Early Show.

“We didn’t have any fights or anything like that; he just became very successful after Freaks and geeks and I just sat on the couch and studied this movie for two years,” he joked, referring to the fact that the film is about two drug addicts.

They have since worked together on a 2013 album. This is the end2014s Interview2016s Sausage party and 2017 Disaster Artist.

“I usually make a movie with Franco almost every year, culminating with this year with two Francos,” Rogen said. SXSW at the festival in 2017 with Franco and his brother Dave Francowho also starred in Disaster artist.

When it came to how far they would take their comedy, Franco and Rogen admitted in a Q&A with Kiviphone that they are comfortable enough with each other that they will be open to anything that makes them laugh.

“I think the lesson you taught me is that if it’s funny, you can do anything,” Franco said.

What was Franco accused of?

Golden Globe Award 2018, where the duo was nominated for directing and producing. Disaster Artistmarking the last time Franco and Rogen were publicly photographed together.

In the days after the show, Franco was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by five women, including four of whom were his students. Women, presumably Los Angeles Times The article said the actor abused his authority as a teacher at the film school he founded to manipulate them into performing inappropriate acts, including allegedly removing security guards during the filming of an oral sex scene.

“I realized pretty quickly that, OK, you can’t say no to this guy,” said one of the women, Sarah Teaser-Kaplan. “I believe there was an abuse of power, there was a culture of exploitation of non-celebrity women and a culture of replacing women.”

Franco’s lawyer then denied all accusations, also citing Franco’s television appearances. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier in the week when he responded to the allegations as a formal denial.

However, more than a year later, in October 2019, Teaser-Kaplan and another of the women, Toni Gaal, filed a lawsuit against Franco, alleging that he “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior toward female students.”

Franco once again denied the allegations and reached an agreement with the women in February 2021 in which he agreed to pay $2,235,000.

Why did Rogen say he would never work with Franco again?

When Franco was first accused, Rogen said he I will continue to work with the actor in an interview in April 2018 Vulture.

“The truth is that my point of view on this issue is the least relevant,” he said. “I’m friends with these people and I’m a dude. All of this combined makes me the last person who should be talking about this.”

However, three years later, Rogen returned to his comments and even admitted that he regretted what he said, as well as the 2014 joke about Saturday Night Live in which he said that he decided to prank Franco by posing as a girl on Instagram and telling him that he was “very young.”

“I remember the joke I made Saturday Night Live in 2014, and I really regret that joke,” Rogen said. Sunday Times. “To be honest, it was a terrible joke. And I also remember that 2018 interview where I commented that I will continue to work with Jamesand the truth is that I haven’t done it and don’t plan to now. ”

He added that it was “no coincidence” that his professional relationship with Franco came to an end, and added that the situation had affected his personal relationship as well.

“I don’t know if I can define it right now during this interview,” he said of their friendship. “I can say this, well, you know, it changed a lot of things in our relationship and our dynamic.”

How did Franco react to the end of their friendship?

Later that year, Franco appeared on SiriusXM radio, where he admitted that he still “loves” Rogen and that in 20 years of working together they had not had a single quarrel.

“He was my closest work friend, my co-writer, we just became friends,” Franco said. “What he said is true: we don’t work together and we don’t have any plans to work together.”

The actor said that while he was “hurt” to hear Rogen say their professional relationship was over, he understood it because “he had to answer for me because I kept quiet.”

In an interview in October 2024 DiversityFranco shared the news that the status of his friendship with Rogen has not changed, and the couple’s relationship appears irreparable.

“And not for lack of trying,” he said. “I told him how much he meant to me.”