Breaking News:James Franco Says Longtime Friendship with Seth Rogen Is ‘Over’ After His Controversy: ‘We Had 20 Great Years Together’ ..See More 👇

In 2021, Seth Rogen said he did not have any plans to work with James Franco again, after Franco settled a

James Franco believes his longtime friendship with Seth Rogen has run its course.

While speaking with Variety at the Rome Film Festival about his new movie Hey Joe — Franco’s second film to release since 2019, after he was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by five women, four of whom were his acting students, in a 2018 Los Angeles Times article — the actor and filmmaker said he and Rogen, 42, are not in touch these days.

“I haven’t talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it’s over,” Franco said of his relationship with his frequent collaborator on projects like Freaks and Geeks, Pineapple Express, This Is The End and The Disaster Artist.

“And not for lack of trying. I’ve told him how much he’s meant to me,” Franco added.

Franco’s career stalled after two of those former acting students filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit in 2019. Franco settled the lawsuit in 2021, and records PEOPLE obtained at the time showed that he agreed to pay $2.235 million in the settlement.

While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood,” both parties said in a joint statement released in 2021.

That same year, Rogen said in an interview that he had no plans to work with Franco moving forward.