Between his JamesFranco2319 TikTok account and Seth Rogen’s recent comments about their falling out, James Franco’s attempted comeback has left people confused. Seth and Franco were once best friends and collaborators, having worked together on films like Pineapple Express, The Interview, and The Disaster Artist after meeting on the set of Freaks and Geeks. But when Franco was accused of sexual misconduct amid the #MeToo movement, Seth cut ties with the actor. Last week, Seth opened up about their falling out, telling the New York Times, “I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now. It is a very personal thing. Seth Rogen opens up about his current relationship with James Franco following the sexual misconduct allegations, saying he cut ties with him, that there is more to the story than what the public knows, and that he hasn’t spoken to him in years 😳👀 “The personal side of it is… pic.twitter.com/Ju1219hZYt — Killa 🌺 (@KillaKreww) June 13, 2026 “There’s the public-facing side of it, which I’ve spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I’ve had, and I think the proof is in the pudding – I have not worked with him in years.” He added that “nothing has changed since the last time I talked about all this, and I haven’t worked with him in a really long time and I have no plans to.” Separately, Franco started a TikTok account earlier this month where he’s been posting a series of odd videos. In all of them, he has a pause symbol taped onto his shirt alongside the written name “Bruce Robins”, and rambles about “some serious sh*t going on” and his fears of being spied on. Why was James Franco cancelled? Credit: Warner Bros. During the #MeToo movement, multiple women came forward with allegations of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behaviour against James Franco. The controversy began in January 2018 after Franco wore a Time’s Up pin at the Golden Globe Awards, where he won Best Actor for The Disaster Artist. Shortly afterwards, several women publicly criticised the actor on social media. They accused him of hypocrisy and alleged misconduct, including Sarah Tither-Kaplan, a former acting student at the film school Franco founded, Studio 4. She was one of five former students or mentees who spoke to the LA Times with allegations of sexually exploitative behaviour, claiming that Franco would at times promise them career advancement. Tither-Kaplan alleged that during one nude orgy scene, Franco removed plastic guards covering their vaginas while simulating oral sex on them. Two other former students claimed that Franco would become angry when they didn’t agree to be topless. Franco denied the allegations at the time, saying he was proud of taking responsibility for things he had done wrong in his life but maintained that the specific claims being made against him were not accurate. He also stated that he supported people being able to share their experiences. @jamesfranco2319 I can’t say to much right now. But stick around and I promise it will all make sense. ♬ original sound – James Franco In 2019, Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal – both former students at Franco’s now-defunct acting school – filed a lawsuit alleging they had been subjected to a sexually exploitative environment. Franco denied the allegations but agreed to a $2.2million settlement in 2021. As part of the settlement, he did not admit wrongdoing. The actor later addressed the controversy in a 2021 interview on The Jess Cagle Podcast, admitting he had slept with students while teaching. He described the behaviour as “wrong” and said he had been dealing with sex addiction at the time. However, he disputed some of the more serious allegations that had been made against him. Following this, Franco largely stepped away from major Hollywood projects and public life. Although he has continued acting, it’s not on the same level as he was prior to these events. Franco threatens to expose ‘alien’ in new TikTok video Although Franco appears to be losing his grip on reality in his TikTok videos, it seems to be an elaborate stunt to promote his new movie. @jamesfranco2319 It’s an ALIEN!!!! ♬ original sound – James Franco Franco is starring in Love Meets in the Sunshine, an upcoming road-trip comedy, which is one of two accounts he’s following – alongside Christian Guiton, the film’s director. Even so, his videos have left netizens baffled. In his latest, he says he’s “going to go out to the garage and see it” in reference to the mysterious “not human” being he found in there. He insists that it’s “not a hoax” and is “real”, before saying, “I think it’s an alien.” Franco then says he doesn’t have any guns so his camera will be his “weapon”, but the video cuts before he heads outside. Plenty of spectators have expressed concern for the actor, including this person who said, “James. I’m really worried. You’ve been in the same clothes for a few days now.” Another wrote, “Check on him y’all.” A third added, “James I think I speak for all of us…you’re stressing us out man.” Credit: TikTok/@jamesfranco2319 Others have referenced his past controversies, with one asking, “I thought he was cancelled?” To which another replied, “Yep, in 2017 when he was accused of [sexual misconduct] and settled for about 2.2 million. Some of us still remember.” Plenty of commenters have honed in on the fact that his account name features “2319” – the famous emergency code from Monsters Inc. “It is declared by the Child Detection Agency (CDA) whenever a monster comes into contact with an object from the human world – which they consider highly toxic,” wrote one. But for the most part, fans are starting to realise that this may all just be a publicity stunt – even if he insists it’s not. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Carl Timpone/BFA/Shutterstock/TikTok/@jamesfranco2319 Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
