People Are Hating on Seth Rogen Again After His Controversial Hollywood Bowl Show

The Netflix Is a Joke festival is making headlines again in 2024 as one of the most well-attended and mainstream comedy festivals. They hosted the historic Roast of Tom Brady as well as headlining comedians like Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, and more. But after Seth Rogen’s show, Seth Smokes the Bowl at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, fans have some opinions about their former favorite pothead.

As Seth took the stage, he ceremoniously lit a giant bowl with a remix of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme song (“Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss) playing in the background. He decided to bring up the viral beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Those two choices caused plenty of controversy on social media as the general populace remembers why they hate Seth Rogen. But why do they hate him?

Seemingly everyone has taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on Seth’s big Netflix Is a Joke entrance, and several people are surprisingly against him. Seth built his career on being a pothead — from his role as a burnout band geek on Freaks and Geeks to making Pineapple Express to advocating for weed legalization, smoking weed is his personality. It’s how he got famous and it’s how he made money.

Hating on Seth for leaning into his marijuana-loving reputation would be like hating on Carly Rae Jepsen for continuing to sing “Call Me Maybe” at concerts. The song has aged differently from what it was originally, but it’s what the people want! Even still, opinions on Seth’s continuing weed habits range from saying it’s sad that he’s still obsessed with weed at his age and after legalization to pointing out how commercial and capitalist his love of it has become, which is a fair critique.

For some, hating Seth is as simple as saying he isn't funny. We can agree that his comedy isn’t for everyone, but that’s what made him so lovable when his fame took off in the industry. He wasn’t trying to cater to everyone and be likable; he leaned into who he was (a pothead) and made a career out of that, which is admirable.

We can’t help but think there’s a level of jealousy among other potheads who lack the same ambition and natural charisma as Seth. He was able to capitalize on something that was once characterized by mainstream media as lazy, stupid, and unhealthy. But even while smoking weed on the daily, Seth was able to write, act in, and produce some of the most successful films of the aughts.

When Seth was rising in the entertainment world, many saw his comedy as “bro comedy,” which meant that he had a lot of right-wing male fans. However, he disappointed those same fans when he came out in favor of the #MeToo movement and separated himself from James Franco, who was accused of repeated patterns of sexual harassment and abuse. Seth has never shied away from sharing his political opinions, which are overwhelmingly left-wing and, as conservatives might say, “woke.”

On the other hand, many “woke” people wouldn’t necessarily be attracted to Seth's comedy. His films are full of racist and sexist jokes, and people who take those too seriously may have never liked him in the first place. Others were disappointed he was ever associated with James Franco. This means that his political views may have alienated his initial fans while the people who agree with him politically may not like the work he puts out.

Regardless, we can’t knock him for leaning into his reputation and putting on a killer comedy show, with a lineup that included Snoop Dogg, Lil Dicky, Ronny Chieng, Ramy Youssef, Janelle James, and more. In fact, the show raised money for his and his wife’s non-profit organization, Hilarity for Charity, which raises money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. So maybe there are better people to hate on.