Seth Rogen Doesn't Plan to Work with James Franco After Claims, Says Dynamic Has 'Changed'
Michael Kovac/Getty James Franco and Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen is distancing himself professionally from James Franco, who was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women in 2018.
In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Rogen, 39, said that he has no future plans to work with Franco, 43, following the sexual harassment controversy surrounding The Deuce actor. (Franco has denied the allegations.)
"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 said.
Rogen — who has known Franco since they were teenagers and collaborated with him on projects like Freaks and Geeks, This Is The End, and The Disaster Artist — also told The Times that he has two regrets regarding his prior response to the allegations against Franco: the first for joking about it during his 2014 Saturday Night Live opening monologue; and the second for telling Vulture in April 2018 that he would continue working with Franco despite the accusations.
"I do look back at a joke I made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke," said Rogen. "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. "
Listen below to the episode of our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day for more on Seth Rogen's decision to distance himself from James Franco.
Rogen also confirmed that it is "not a coincidence" that his professional relationship with Franco has seemingly ended. The pair's personal relationship has also been affected, Rogen said.
"I don't know if I can define that right now during this interview," Rogen told The Times of the pair's friendship. "I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic."
A rep for Franco did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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In January 2018, five women accused Franco of sexually exploitative behavior in an article published by The Los Angeles Times. One of the alleged victims, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, claimed that Franco removed safety guards while filming an oral sex scene on the set of the 2015 film The Long Home.
That same month, Tither-Kaplan told Good Morning America that Franco "abused his power by exploiting the non-celebrity women that he worked with under the guise of giving them opportunities."
RELATED: James Franco Says #MeToo Allegations Against Him Are 'Salacious' and 'False'
At the time, an attorney for Franco denied each of the allegations and cited the actor's 2018 comments on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as his formal denial.
"The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn't have a voice for so long," Franco told host Stephen Colbert. "So I don't want to, you know, shut them down in any way."
Sarah Tither-Kaplan and fellow alleged victim Toni Gaal later filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Franco in 2019. A deal was reached in the settlement earlier this year.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
