Seth Rogen: I Won't Work With James Franco, for Now

Longtime Franco friend, co-star is speaking out after sexual misconduct claims
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 10, 2021 10:05 AM CDT
Seth Rogen: I Won't Work With James Franco, for Now
Seth Rogen arrives at an American Cinematheque Award ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 8, 2019.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Seth Rogen has been a longtime collaborator and buddy of fellow actor James Franco, stretching back to the late '90s, when they both appeared in the sitcom Freaks and Geeks, and extending into more recent co-starring turns in such films as Pineapple Express, The Interview, and The Disaster Artist. Now, however, in the wake of a slew of sexual misconduct allegations against the 43-year-old Franco, Rogen is keeping his distance and isn't sure when or if they'll work together again, per a new interview with the Times of London. In 2018, after the claims of inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior against Franco began to surface, Rogen was asked if he would continue working with his friend. He answered in the affirmative but said he didn't want to talk about the allegations, insisting he didn't know enough about the developments and that "my perspective on this is the least relevant perspective."

The 39-year-old has since changed his tune. "I ... look back to that interview in 2018 where I comment that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now," he tells the Times. Rogen also addresses accusations by actor Charlyne Yi that he's been a Franco "enabler." She recently cited a 2014 SNL bit in which Rogen and Franco both poked fun of the latter's propositioning of a 17-year-old girl on Instagram. Rogen now tells the Times it was a "terrible joke" that he regrets, and that "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." Rogen says everything that's transpired has indeed affected their relationship, but he's not as clear on whether his friendship with Franco is done for good. "I don't know if I can define that right now during this interview," he says. (More Seth Rogen stories.)

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