Seth Rogen and James Franco were one of the most inseparable duos in Hollywood. For years they collaborated on many movies. Most of these movies were far from being considered family-friendly entertainment.
Now though it seems that Rogen is not standing by his pal Franco anymore. Going as far as to say that he has no plans to work with him in the future. All of this over constant accusations against Franco for sexual misconduct. Rogen seems to be looking to distance himself from his friend at this point.
In the last few years, many Hollywood stars have faced sexual misconduct allegations. James Franco‘s name is without a doubt one that keeps popping up. James Franco was accused of sexual misconduct in 2014, and in 2018. In this last instance, 5 different women came forward to accuse the actor.
The 2014 teen incident allegedly involved an underage girl that Franco contacted through Instagram. At the time Rogen went as far as to make a joke of the ordeal. An instance that he now regrets.
Rogen was asked directly what had changed in his relationship with Franco since the allegations of sexual misconduct took place. Rogen replied to The Times,
“I don’t know if I can define that right now during this interview … I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic,” Rogen said.
He later added that “[His situation was] not as painful and difficult as it is for a lot of other people involved. I have no pity for myself in this situation.”
While not revealing many details of his personal relationship it’s pretty clear that there has been a bit of a falling out.
Fans may be a little surprised to hear this, but the duo has actually not been collaborating for a while. However, their last mainstream collaboration came with the animated film Sausage Party. That film was released in 2016. From there each actor took his own path.
Rogen seems to be leaning more towards high-profile projects like his role as Pumba in the Lion King. While Franco is exploring the indie scene and trying to produce and direct different personal projects. Long gone are the days of “This Is The End”, and “Pineapple Express”.
Rogen distancing himself from Franco publically seems like an awkward move. It seems more like a self-preservation move than anything else. In 2014 after the first allegations came through Rogen was the first to make a joke of the ordeal, and many, including actress Charlyne Yi called him out for being “Franco’s enabler.”
“What I can say is 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 adamantly states.
