Seth Rogen sidesteps question on James Franco friendship after #MeToo claims

Seth Rogen is speaking out about the end of his friendship with James Franco — well, barely.

In an interview with Esquire magazine published Tuesday, the comedian stayed relatively mum about his relationship with his "Freaks and Geeks" co-star.

"Honestly, I absorb so little media that it really wasn't on my radar," Rogen told Esquire. The magazine noted, "That is all he wants to say about that" and "he's clearly not surprised to get the question, and he's just as clearly not happy about it" after being asked about his former friend.

In an interview with Variety published in October, Franco got candid about a falling out with Rogen after a wave of #MeToo sexual misconduct allegations in the 2010s.

'We had 20 great years': James Franco says Seth Rogen friendship 'over' after #MeToo fallout

"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 told Variety in the interview.

Rogen and Franco, who met as teenagers in Hollywood, worked together on famous projects such as "Freaks and Geeks," "The Disaster Artist," "Pineapple Express" and "This Is The End." But in real life, things have become complicated.

James Franco in 2021: 'I don't want Seth' to answer for me

In 2021, Franco candidly spoke about his sexual misconduct allegations and the end of his relationship with Rogen, who told Britain's The Sunday Times earlier that year that he had no plans to work with his ex-friend again.

The Oscar nominee reflected on Rogen's comments during an interview with host Jess Cagle on SiriusXM’s "The Jess Cagle Podcast" in December 2021.

"Of course it was hurtful in context, but I get it. He had to answer for me, 'cause I was silent. He had to answer for me and I don't want that. And so that's why it's one of the main reasons I wanted to talk to you today. I don't want Seth or my brother (actor Dave Franco) or anyone to have to answer for me anymore," Franco told Cagle during the interview.

Franco added in the 2021 interview that, "We didn't have one fight for 20 years. Not one fight. He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator. And we just gelled and what he said is true: We aren't working together right now, and we don't have any plans to work together."

Franco previously DM'd underage girl on Instagram, stoking controversy

The events that led to their downfall date back a decade. In 2014, Franco, then 35, made headlines after he asked out a 17-year-old girl on Instagram (He later apologized).

That year, Franco and Rogen both joked about the infamous incident on "SNL" during respective hosting stints.

"I do look back at a joke I made on 'Saturday Night Live' in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke," Rogen later said. "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."

In June 2021, Franco agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit brought against him by his former acting students, who alleged that he pushed students into increasingly sexual and exploitive scenes on camera at his now-shuttered Studio 4 acting and filmmaking school, which boasted locations in Los Angeles and New York City.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seth Rogen: James Franco friendship comment 'wasn't on my radar'