Seth Rogen stays silent on his fractured friendship with James Franco amid the actor’s #MeToo allegations.

Seth Rogen has finally addressed—or more accurately, avoided addressing—the state of his friendship with longtime collaborator James Franco.

In an interview with Esquire published Tuesday, the comedian remained notably reserved when asked about Franco, offering a response that did little to clarify the nature of their relationship following years of controversy surrounding Franco’s alleged misconduct.

“Honestly, I absorb so little media that it really wasn’t on my radar,” Rogen said when pressed about Franco, a statement that Esquire noted was all he was willing to say on the matter. Though his response was brief, it spoke volumes.

The comedian, who once shared a decades-long friendship and a string of successful projects with Franco—including Freaks and Geeks, Pineapple Express, and The Disaster Artist—has maintained an increasingly distant stance since allegations against Franco surfaced.

The tension between them has become a focal point in discussions about accountability in Hollywood, leaving many wondering whether their once-unbreakable bond is permanently fractured.

This silence isn’t new. Franco himself confirmed in 2021 that their friendship had all but ended, stating in an interview with Variety that while he still had love for Rogen, their relationship was effectively over. “I haven’t talked to Seth.

I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over. And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” Franco revealed at the time.

His words underscored a deep sense of loss, making Rogen’s refusal to engage with the topic now all the more striking.

Franco and Rogen’s partnership was once one of Hollywood’s most iconic, beginning in their teenage years when they co-starred in the cult classic Freaks and Geeks.

Their chemistry carried over into a slew of comedic films that defined an era, from This Is The End to Pineapple Express. Yet, behind the scenes, things were growing increasingly complicated.

The turning point came as Franco faced a wave of sexual misconduct allegations in the 2010s, which escalated when former acting students from his now-defunct Studio 4 school filed a lawsuit accusing him of exploitative behavior.

In 2021, Franco agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the case, though the damage to his reputation was already done.

His admission of past misconduct, paired with accusations that he pressured students into sexually charged scenes, made it nearly impossible for his Hollywood career to recover.

For Rogen, Franco’s downfall presented a difficult dilemma. While initially standing by his friend, he began distancing himself in the wake of the allegations.

In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2021, Rogen admitted that he had no plans to work with Franco again, marking the first public sign that their friendship was unraveling.

That same year, Franco acknowledged the strain in an interview with The Jess Cagle Podcast, expressing sadness over their separation.

“Of course, it was hurtful in context, but I get it,” Franco said, adding that he regretted forcing Rogen to address the situation on his behalf. “I don’t want Seth or my brother [Dave Franco] or anyone to have to answer for me anymore.”

The cracks in their relationship go back even further. In 2014, Franco sparked outrage when he attempted to meet up with a 17-year-old girl he had messaged on Instagram. While he later apologized, the controversy lingered.

At the time, both he and Rogen joked about the incident on Saturday Night Live, but in hindsight, Rogen admitted regret for participating in the humor at Franco’s expense.

In 2018, he even defended Franco, stating that he would continue working with him. Yet by 2021, his stance had changed drastically, as he clarified that he had no intentions of collaborating with Franco moving forward.

Despite Rogen’s latest reluctance to discuss the matter, his actions over the past few years indicate that their relationship is beyond repair.

His choice to sidestep the question in his Esquire interview may be a sign that he prefers to move on without rehashing the past, or it could suggest that he is wary of further entangling himself in the controversy. Either way, his silence is telling.

For Franco, the fallout has left him on the outskirts of Hollywood, while Rogen continues to thrive. The comedian has expanded his work into directing, producing, and even launching his own cannabis brand, Houseplant.

As his career evolves, it seems he is making a conscious effort to distance himself from associations that could jeopardize his standing in the industry.

Whether Franco and Rogen will ever reconcile remains uncertain, but for now, Rogen’s refusal to engage in the conversation makes one thing clear—some friendships, no matter how deep, may never fully recover.