Why Seth Rogen & James Franco's Decades-Long Friendship Fell Apart

Fans of James Franco's collaborations with Seth Rogen are likely not going to be seeing any comedic team-ups in the future, and Franco says his 20-year-long friendship with the comic filmmaker can be added to the list of celeb besties who don't speak anymore. Franco spoke out about their rift in October 2024, during the Rome Film Festival while promoting his new film, "Hey Joe," and he revealed that they are no longer communicating.

"I haven't talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it's over," Franco told Variety, when asked about the status of their friendship. Franco's "Hey Joe" marks only his second film since 2019, after Franco was accused by multiple women of sexually inappropriate behavior. At the time, Franco settled a lawsuit filed by two women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Franco denied the allegations but agreed to pay over $2 million to settle.

Franco said that, in the years since the scandal, it was not possible to maintain open lines of communication with Rogen, but "not for lack of trying." Franco — who worked with Rogen on "Freaks & Geeks," "Pineapple Express," "The Interview," and "This Is the End," to name just a few — said he's told Rogen "how much he's meant to me," but Rogen has seemingly not entertained the idea of reconciling.

When the sexual misconduct allegations were first leveled against James Franco in 2018, Seth Rogen was asked if he would consider working with Franco again in the future. At the time, Rogen told Vulture he would. In May 2021, however, Rogen revealed to The Sunday Times that he regretted saying that at all, and explained that the fullness of time and retrospection had changed his opinions on his future with his friend and past collaborator.

"[I] look back to that interview in 2018 where I commented that I would keep working with James, and the truth is that I have not and I do not plan to right now," Rogen shared of their professional relationship. When asked about his personal relationship, Rogen said that the allegations had "changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic."

As for Franco, the actor said during the Rome Film Festival that his time away from acting in Hollywood has given him a "chance to just do whatever private work and really change what I need to change" about himself, and he has a positive outlook on how things worked out. It's also allowed him to cultivate a healthy relationship with his girlfriend, Izabel Pakzad. While Franco is looking toward the future for himself and his possible comeback, it doesn't look like his longtime friend Rogen will play a part in it.