Seth Rogen’s ‘Career-Killing’ Throwback Video: What He Said Will Have You Asking, “Did He Just Dig His Own Grave?”
Added on June 23, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Ever wonder what cosmic alignment makes a comedy icon cringe at their own past? Seth Rogen, the Canadian maestro who’s dazzled us from Superbad to Preacher, recently blasted open a time capsule of his early auditions — and boy, does he wish some of those VHS relics would vanish into a black hole. Fresh off Freaks and Geeks cancellation, our guy Seth was hustling hard, trying to catch his big break, and ended up in one audition that, by today’s standards (and Mercury’s chaotic retrograde vibes), might just get him “banned from Hollywood.” The infamous Gigli audition — a role portraying a boy with a cognitive disability — is the embarrassment that refuses to see daylight. Can you imagine the stars shaking their heads at 43-year-old Seth’s acting antics back then? It’s a humbling reminder that even the brightest Hollywood stars have their awkward zodiac moments. So, ready to dive into Seth’s confession and karaoke his cringe-worthy audition with him? LEARN MORE
Comedy legend Seth Rogen admitted that there are some audition tapes from the early stages of his career, which he hopes never sees the light of day.
The Canadian actor has become one of the most successful names in the film and TV industry, venturing away from the comedy genre with work on projects such as Invincible and Preacher in recent years.
But in the early stages of his career, fresh off the cancellation of NBC series Freak and Geeks, Rogen was struggling to find consistent work and auditioned for various titles here and there.
He recently admitted that he was grateful that many of them were filmed on VHS, and so weren’t readily available online. However, Rogen said that one audition in particular stood out when it came to never wanting the public to see it.
Seth Rogen is one of the more established names to come from the comedy scene in the 2000s (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Rogen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, and as well as speaking about his desire for Vin Diesel to appear in the second season of The Studio, the actor name-dropped a film he auditioned for which could – nowadays – get him cancelled.
Gigli was released in 2003 and stars Ben Affleck opposite Jennifer Lopez, while Al Pacino and Christopher Walken were also part of the cast.
Despite the star-studded line up, the title flopped at the box office and has a score of just six percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Recalling his audition at the time, Rogen said: “Thank god it was mostly physical VHS tapes and stuff like that that was being used when I was auditioning for things.
“Because the things I auditioned for, in retrospect, if they were out there in the world, they would end my career very, very fast, I believe.”
Moving onto Gigli in particular, the 43-year-old explained: “I auditioned for this boy with a cognitive disability. And I don’t think the script was written in what, by today’s standards, would be the most sensitive portrayal of a boy with a cognitive disability.”
He admitted that he was ‘an aspiring young actor’ at the time that ‘didn’t get a lot of auditions’, so aimed to stand out from the crowd, adding: “I don’t think I wore a helmet into the audition.”
Rogen was so ashamed and aware of how offensive his audition was, that he refused to show it to the audience.
“I’m tempted to do an impression of what I did and I can’t even do it,” the Knocked Up star admitted.
Rogen established himself as a lead actor in 2007’s Knocked Up (Universal)
He went on: “That’s how bad it was. Truthfully, if that tape was out today, this would be the last video you see of me today – outside of my apology tour.
“Please, if you have it, burn it. Please sell it to me. I will buy it,” he said of the tape.
The role of Brian, the boy with a cognitive disability, went to Justin Bartha in the end, who is best known for his role as Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy.
Luckily, success was right around the corner for Rogen, who would star in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, and Pineapple Express in the following years.
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