Seth Rogen sets the record straight on ever working with James Franco again
Seth Rogen says there’s still no James Franco reunion on the horizon, reaffirming in a New York Times interview that after the misconduct allegations that ended their two-decade partnership, he isn’t looking back.
Let’s just get straight to it: Seth Rogen has, once again, said he won’t be teaming up with James Franco any time soon. These two were synonymous with the kind of stoner comedies that defined an era—think 'Pineapple Express', 'This Is the End', 'The Disaster Artist'—but that era looks well and truly over, and it’s not an amicable pause. This all comes back to the allegations that first surfaced against Franco back in 2018, and Rogen’s stance hasn’t budged since.
Rogen and Franco: A Proper Split
Seth Rogen had a chat with The New York Times the other day, and the topic of Franco inevitably came up. If you’re wondering whether the friendship or the creative partnership is ever likely to return, the answer is simple: no.
Rogen put it rather carefully—possibly because he’s fielded this question in every interview since 2018—but the underlying message was unmistakable:
He did mention that he finds the personal side of things 'too personal' (his words, not mine), and he doesn’t want to drag anyone else into it. There’s a public angle—which is what we all get—but behind the scenes, it sounds rather more tangled than anyone outside their circle will ever know.
Why They Fell Out
In case you missed it: Franco found himself navigating a run of fairly damning sexual misconduct allegations, starting in 2018. Since then, the collaborations have stopped dead. Rogen, in the NYT piece and elsewhere, has been clear that he’s not interested in sweeping anything under the rug. This is the same line he took with The Sunday Times a while back, when he admitted he doesn’t want to put colleagues in a position where they’re working with someone who’s facing accusations like this. It's not exactly an ambiguous stance.
- Rogen and Franco were frequent collaborators for over two decades.
- Key films together: 'Pineapple Express', 'This Is the End', 'The Interview', 'The Disaster Artist', and several others.
- In 2018, allegations against Franco came to light, and the professional relationship effectively ended.
- Rogen has since publicly stated, more than once, that he doesn't plan on working with Franco again.
- Rogen is also on the record saying: 'I despise abuse and harassment and I would never cover or conceal the actions of someone doing it, or knowingly put someone in a situation where they were around someone like that.'
What’s Rogen Up To Now?
While he’s closed the chapter on the Rogen-Franco double act, Seth’s hardly vanished. His production company has churned out the streaming juggernaut 'The Boys' (13 Emmys, if you’re counting). He’s got the animated film 'Tangles' in the pipeline, and he’s starring in 'The Invite' alongside Olivia Wilde.
So, if you were hoping for a Rogen-Franco reunion, you might want to let that dream go. The freeze is intentional, not accidental, and Rogen’s made it clear he isn’t in a hurry to revisit it.