The real reason Seth Rogen doesn’t want to talk about James Franco anymore

Seth Rogen is opening up about his friendship with James Franco after Franco revealed they are no longer close.

Rogen, in a recent interview, shared that he doesn’t focus much on the media discussions surrounding his relationship with James Franco.

Seth Rogen explained to Esquire that he doesn’t follow much media, so Franco’s comments were not on his “radar.”

Despite Rogen’s calm response, it was clear that he wasn’t thrilled to be asked about it. The magazine noted that Rogen had little to say on the matter, making it clear he didn’t want to revisit the topic.

The shift in their friendship came after multiple women accused James Franco of inappropriate sexual behaviour in 2018, with further accusations emerging.

One of these accusations led to James Franco settling a case where he was accused of coercing students into sexual situations.

Following these events, Seth Rogen distanced himself from Franco, even expressing in 2021 that he no longer planned to work with him.

James Franco later confirmed in a 2024 interview that he and Seth Rogen are no longer friends. Franco admitted that despite trying to maintain their relationship, it’s come to an end.

Seth Rogen had previously spoken out in 2018, showing support for Franco, but as more allegations surfaced, Rogen’s stance changed, and he clarified that their dynamic had been deeply affected.

While Rogen has not fully defined what changed between them, it’s clear that their friendship was altered by the accusations against Franco.

Back in 2019, James Franco was accused of sexually exploiting young women in his acting school along with his close associates.

Toni Gaal and Sarah Tither-Kaplan alleged that the forty-one-year-old actor and his friends used to offer potentially inappropriate roles to women in James Franco’s now-defunct acting school.

The 127 Hours protagonist was behind an acting school called Studio 4, with branches in Los Angeles and New York. Both plaintiffs were enrolled in the LA branch and paid tuition fees of $300 each month.

The lawsuit suggests there was another masterclass including a separate class for intimate scenes for $750 and the students were taped during the auditions so that James Franco could select after reviewing the recordings.

Gaal and Tither-Kaplan also alleged they were asked to sign away the rights to these recordings.