Seth Rogen Standing by Decision to Cut Ties With James Franco After Sexual Misconduct Claims

Seth Rogen recently revealed he hasn’t spoken to James Franco in a “long time” — and he has no plans to work with the star in the near future.

The Studio actor, 44, previously teamed up with Franco, 48, on movies including Pineapple Express, This Is the End, and The Interview, but Rogen publicly cut ties with Franco after he was accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2018, per Los Angeles Times.

Franco denied any inappropriate behavior, but per Today, in 2021, he agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by several of his former students who attended his former acting school, Studio 4.

In a new interview, Rogen has opened up about his former friendship with Franco — who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for 2017 movie The Disaster Artist, which also featured Rogen — admitting not a lot has changed between the pair in the last few years.

“I’m trying to think how much I want to personally share about this,” he admitted while speaking on the June 13 episode of The New York Times’ The Daily podcast. “I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now.”

“It is a very personal thing, and I think there’s like the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had,” Rogen continued. “And I think the proof is in the pudding more than anything. I have not worked with him in years, you know, but the personal side of it is just … it’s so nuanced, and it involves people that I don’t know if I should be dragging into this.”

“I don’t know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it in this moment, but I’d say everything I’ve said … nothing has changed really since the last time I talked about all this,” the Knocked Up star added.

It doesn’t seem like Rogen is planning to reach out to Franco anytime soon, either: “I haven’t worked with him in a really long time, and I have no plans to.”

As reported by The National Enquirer earlier this year, Franco’s brother, actor Dave Franco, 41, is still close to Rogen.

A source said in January: “Rather than distancing himself from his brother’s former best friend, Dave leaned in, collaborating with Rogen and landing a role in his projects, including The Studio. To many in Hollywood, the message was clear: Dave picked the winning side.”

Another insider added: “Family loyalty gave way to career survival.”