We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Celebs Who Are No Longer Friends With James Franco

The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

James Franco used to be Hollywood's Mr. Congeniality — chummy with just about everyone and seemingly free of drama. But that shiny reputation took a nosedive when allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, including claims he tried to lure an underage girl to his hotel room. Franco's fallout and cancelation were swift, and his friends in the industry thinned out fast.

Franco denied most of the accusations but did admit to sleeping with students from his acting school. He also later agreed to shell out $2.2 million to settle sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him. After lying low for a while — nearly half a decade to be exact — Franco is dipping his toes back into acting and insists he's put it all behind him. "I mean, it is what it is. I've honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change. So that's it, it's over. I mean, I've worked in the U.S. too. So I'm just trying to move on," he told Variety in 2024. He also noted that he used a huge chunk of his downtime for some deep introspection. "I had to change my whole way of life. So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time ... I wasn't working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was," he said.

But while Franco might be ready to hit the reset button, his former friends aren't rushing to welcome him back with open arms. Even Seth Rogen — once one of his closest pals and a longtime collaborator — has publicly distanced himself. And he's not the only one. For Franco, rebuilding his career might be possible — but rekindling those lost friendships? That's looking like a long shot.

Seth Rogen and James Franco are no longer best buds

When someone faces serious accusations, their closest friends and family often rally behind them. But for Seth Rogen and James Franco, that wasn't the case. Despite a friendship with Franco that spanned decades — kicking off in 1999 with "Freaks and Geeks" and rolling through several films, including "Pineapple Express" and "The Interview" — Rogen made it crystal clear he's done. No more bromance — and definitely no more Franco collabs now, or maybe ever.

"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 told The Sunday Times. The shift in tone wasn't lost on fans, especially since he once joked about Franco's behavior during a 2014 "Saturday Night Live" monologue and even told Vulture in 2018 he'd probably work with him again. Rogen now regrets those comments, calling the joke "terrible" and admitting to The Sunday Times, "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."

Meanwhile, Franco is clearly feeling the loss of a good friend. He's even admitted to reaching out, though it sounds like he's talking to a brick wall. "No. I haven't talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it's over," he shared with Variety. "And not for lack of trying. I've told him how much he's meant to me."

Busy Philipps revealed that she was one of James Franco's victims

Busy Philipps wasn't among the people who accused James Franco of sexual assault, but she sure has her own story to tell about his behavior. Like Seth Rogen, Philipps worked with Franco on "Freaks and Geeks" and didn't mince words in her memoir, "This Will Only Hurt a Little," where she called him a "f***ing bully." One incident stood out: during a scene where she had to lightly shove Franco in the chest (as scripted), he overreacted and harmed her physically. "He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" Philipps penned. "And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me." After she brought up the issue with her manager, Franco apparently only apologized when pushed to do so by the show's EP, Judd Apatow.

Franco did later attempt to patch things up, and they even became friends at one point, but Philipps isn't exactly open to a reunion on-screen. In fact, similar to Rogen, she's against it. In a 2021 interview with the Daily Beast, she made her stance pretty clear. "I didn't work with James past age 20, so I can only speak to the horrible behavior I experienced," she shared. "I wouldn't want to work with someone who has multiple allegations of predatory behavior. So, in fact, I won't."

Ally Sheedy publicly called out James Franco

Unlike Seth Rogen and Busy Philipps, who have decades of history with James Franco, "The Breakfast Club" star Ally Sheedy crossed paths with him much later. Franco cast Sheedy in his off-Broadway play "The Long Shrift" in 2014, and at the time, she was all praise — calling him "a beautiful, generous man" in a The New York Times interview and gushing about the opportunity he had given her.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Sheedy's tune had definitely changed. When Franco popped up at the 2018 Golden Globes, Sheedy fired off a string of now-deleted tweets that raised eyebrows. "Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much," the first tweet read (via Vanity Fair), which was followed by, "Ok wait. Bye. Christian Slater and James Franco at a table on @goldenglobes "#MeToo." Her last tweet was her expressing her disappointment when Franco had clinched an award despite his bad rep. "James Franco just won. Please never ever ask me why I left the film/TV business," she declared.

Franco, for his part, pleaded ignorance. Appearing on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," he played the innocent card and claimed that he had no clue as to why Sheedy said those things about him. "There were some things on Twitter ... I haven't read them. I've heard about them," he said. "Okay, first of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy. I directed her in a play off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her, total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset. She took the tweet down. I don't know. I can't speak for her. I don't know."

And so did Scarlett Johansson

Ally Sheedy wasn't the only one side-eyeing James Franco's appearance at the 2018 Golden Globes. Scarlett Johansson also had a bone to pick with him, particularly with the audacity of Franco sporting a #TimesUp pin at the event, as if he were some kind of ally to women in Hollywood.

The "Marriage Story" star didn't hold back during the 2018 Women's March, addressing a crowd of roughly 700,000 people with a blistering takedown of the actor. "How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault while privately preying on people who have no power?" she said (via USA Today). And in a true mic drop moment, she added, "I want my pin back, by the way." Per W Magazine, her reps later confirmed that her message is indeed directed at Franco.

Elsewhere in her speech, Johansson also said that she is done playing nice, expressing sheer exhaustion over having to protect the egos of the men around her — and that includes Franco. "No more pandering," she said. "No more feeling guilty about hurting someone's feelings when something doesn't feel right for me. I have made a promise to myself to be responsible to my self, that in order to trust my instincts I must first respect them."

Even Tom Hanks wasn't afraid of shading James Franco

And then there was Tom Hanks — Hollywood's moral compass — who didn't shy away from throwing a little shade James Franco's way during The Hollywood Reporter's Actors Roundtable in 2018. Whether it was intentional or not, the timing felt interesting, to say the least. At the time, Hanks spoke candidly about the wave of women coming forward with stories of harassment in Hollywood. "There's some people that go into this business because they got off on having power. And the most times they feel the most powerful, which is why they went into the business, is when they're hitting on — I don't necessarily mean completely sexual — somebody who's underneath them," he said. "There are predators absolutely everywhere."

He also went on to share his own approach to addressing workplace harassment. "You've got to jump right in. You talk to every one of the guilds and find out what happened and you go immediately there," he continued, adding, "It's never too late to change things. It's never too late to learn new behaviors. And that's a responsibility of anybody who wants to obey a code of professional ethics." And just as the conversation heated up, the host decided to pass the mic to Franco. He was asked to chime in, and let's just say that his response was nothing short of awkward. "Change it? Yeah, of course! Of course! Any situation where one group of people is being taken advantage of or treated differently — it needs to change," he said. "It's everybody's responsibility to step up, of course."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).