That Time When Seth Rogen Told Tom Cruise About Internet Porn

Tom Cruise, Seth Rogen Image by GETTY IMAGES/FORWARD MONTAGE

By Jenny Singer August 1, 2018

Judd Apatow told Stephen Colbert that Seth Rogen taught Tom Cruise about internet porn.

Now I know, I know, you’re asking yourself — is this the kind of news Abe Cahan imagined in the early days of the Forward? Would Isaac Bashevis Singer have tolerated this malarkey?

Rather, you should be asking yourself — from Cruise to Singer, why do we keep allowing white men to call the shots in this weary, dreary world?

And while we have you distracted by that thought, a reminder: Sex, drugs, and Judd Apatow will be parts of the Jewish experience as long as Jews keep engaging with them, and we don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Now — on to the news.

In a celebrity MadLibs of an interview, mega producer and super-mensch Judd Apatow told “Late Night” host Stephen Colbert about a bizarre educational moment he witnessed between Tom Cruise and Seth Rogen. Apatow said that during the shooting of Apatow and Rogen’s 2006 comedy “Knocked Up,” the pair met with Cruise to discuss a project idea which sadly never panned out.

.@JuddApatow takes us back to when he brought @SethRogen to a meeting with @TomCruise and they had a chat about internet porn. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/n1oW78DrXh

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) July 31, 2018

In the course of the meeting, Apatow says that the conversation, captained by Rogen turned to “marijuana and pornography.” (Frankly, if you don’t discuss those in a business meeting, it’s hard to claim you’re any kind of professional.) Apatow explained:

He starts talking about adult films on the internet and Tom Cruise goes, ‘What? Wait, you’re saying that there are adult films on the internet?’ And Seth is like, ‘Yeah, there’s all these movies on these websites.’ And Tom Cruise is like, ‘Wait a second, you’re saying if I go on the computer, on the worldwide web, there are people having sex?’

Apatow says that Rogen responded, “Yeah, I watch it all the time, it’s great! Everybody does it. It’s not a big deal anymore.”

It is just as the prophet Joel (2:28) spoke: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

Jenny Singer is a freelance writer with pieces in Vox, the Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, and more. She was previously a staff writer at Glamour and the Forward, and she’s currently getting an MFA in nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO