Seth Rogen has distanced himself from James Franco after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against his longtime friend and frequent collaborator.

The actor, who has largely remained silent on the issue, discussed the relationship with his Pineapple Express and Disaster Artist co-star in a recent interview with The Sunday Times . Franco was outed in 2014 for trying to pick up a 17-year-old fan via Instagram DM, and was the subject of a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by two former students at his now-defunct acting school. Five women, including the two who filed the suit, accused him in 2018 of inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior on set.

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 Times. However, I do look back at a joke I made on Saturday Night Live in 2014 and I very much regret making that joke. It was a terrible joke, honestly.