In the last few years we've seen several major stars, both in front of the camera and behind it, accused of using their positions of power to perpetuate abuse. In some cases we've seen actual criminal charges filed and even prison sentences. One major name that has come up not infrequently in these conversations is James Franco. The actor has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women and Seth Rogen, who has worked with Franco several times, and previously stated he would continue to do so, now says he has no plans to work with the actor again.
Speaking with The Sunday Times (via Variety), Seth Rogen now says that he regrets a joke he made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 where he made light of allegations made by a 17-year-old girl that James Franco had attempted to meet her. He also says that, while he said in 2018 that he would continue to work with Franco, he has not worked with the actor recently and has no plans to do so. According to Rogen...
I do look back at a joke I made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke. It was a terrible joke, honestly. And I also 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.
Following the initial allegations made by the 17-year-old, several other women came forward in 2018, after James Franco was seen wearing a Time's Up pin at the Golden Globes. A class action suit was brought against Fraco in 2019 by former members of an acting school run by the actor. Franco was accused of forcing students to perform explicit sex scenes on camera. Franco has denied all allegations against him and the lawsuit was settled out of court earlier this year.
Seth Rogen is clear that his separation from James Franco professionally is absolutely because of the allegations against him, and not some sort of coincidence. And it's not just the professional relationship that has changed. Rogen admits that the situation has changed their personal relationship as well, though he doesn't really go into details about what that means. Ultimately, it seems that Rogen felt he had to cut ties with the actor because he wouldn't feel right potentially putting somebody in a bad situation. Rogen goes on...
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.
The duo have at least one project left that has yet to be released where they did work together, as both are producers on the Pam & Tommy miniseries for Hulu.
