Why Seth Rogen Would 'Never Live in Israel' – His Shocking Comments on Zionist Upbringing

A five-year-old podcast clip featuring Seth Rogen is back in the conversation after the US-Israel coordinated attack on Iran last week.

The remarks, originally made during a 27 July 2020 appearance on WTF with Marc Maron, resurfaced this week after an X post sharing a short excerpt gained millions of views.

The clip centres on Rogen's reflections about his Jewish upbringing and his statement that he would 'never live in Israel.' Here's what he said, and how it fits into his broader background.

The Quote That Went Viral

During the 2020 conversation with host Marc Maron, Rogen discussed how Israel was presented to him in childhood Jewish education.

'As a Jewish person, I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life,' he said. 'They never tell you there were people there. They make it seem like it was just sitting there empty, like, 'Oh, the door's open.'

He added, 'I would never live in Israel. It doesn't make sense to me.'

In the same discussion, Rogen questioned the idea that concentrating Jewish people in one place ensured safety. He also described himself as non-religious, calling religion 'silly,' while maintaining pride in his Jewish identity.

The clip now trending online is taken directly from that 2020 exchange.

His Upbringing in Vancouver

Rogen was born in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family with Ukrainian and Russian roots. According to reports, his parents met on Kibbutz Beit Alfa in Israel in the 1970s. He has described them as left-leaning Jewish socialists who emphasised cultural identity and progressive politics.

He attended Vancouver Talmud Torah, a Jewish day school, had a bar mitzvah, and spent summers at Camp Miriam, affiliated with the Labour Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror. Jewish humour and community life shaped his early stand-up routines and later writing.

At the same time, Rogen has said that as he grew older, he felt parts of that education left out Palestinian history. His 2020 comments reflect that reassessment rather than a rejection of his background.

Clarifications After Backlash

After the podcast episode aired, Rogen faced criticism from some Jewish organisations and commentators who argued his remarks oversimplified complex history.

In follow-up interviews later in 2020, he clarified that he supports Israel's right to exist and does not advocate for its disappearance. He said his criticism was aimed at how the history was presented to him as a child, not at Jewish identity itself.

He has also noted his personal ties to Israel, including multiple visits and the fact that his parents met there.

Where He Stands Now

Rogen has not revisited the topic publicly in a major way in recent times. He continues to describe himself as proudly Jewish, culturally connected but not religiously observant.

In recent years, his focus has centred on film and television projects, as well as philanthropy. With his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, he co-founded Hilarity for Charity, which funds Alzheimer's research and caregiver support. He has also been active in cannabis reform advocacy through his company Houseplant.

Furthermore, the throwback moment seems to be gaining more attention with the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Palestine and now Iran.