The Breakthrough Prize awards have become a hot ticket on the Hollywood calendar, with everyone from tech bros, celebrities, and Kardashians clamoring to attend the “Oscars of Science.” This year’s ceremony was held in Santa Monica on April 5 — a day of national, nay global protests — and was then available to stream on YouTube a week later. Only some insiders have let it be known that not everything from the live event made it into the version for the public. Significant cuts were made to Seth Rogen’s unscripted comments as presenter. Speaking as an at-home viewer, Rogen’s presence is always a bonus; he brings a bit of danger with his candor. So Rogen spoke some truths while co-presenting the Special Breakthrough Prize in Physics with Ed Norton, and this is reportedly how it went down:
After being introduced by host James Corden, Norton began by praising some of the tech titans in the audience — which included Breakthrough Prize co-founders Yuri Milner, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sergey Brin — for underwriting the awards. (Each recipient is given $3 million.) Emboldened by a dirty martini backstage, Rogen jumped in with a none-too-subtle reference to past attendee and current DOGE mastermind Elon Musk. “And it’s amazing that others [who have been] in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science,” he said, clearly making Norton uncomfortable. The comment underlined the irony of Silicon Valley’s increasingly cozy relationship with the Trump administration, which has cut federal science funding and defied scientific consensus. “It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr, very fast,” Rogen continued in reference to the vaccine-skeptical secretary for Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The ad-lib landed with a thud, or “light applause,” as a visibly uncomfortable Norton joked. “I’d say that’s a smattering,” Rogen said. Those watching the event on YouTube a week later, though, wouldn’t have a clue about Rogen’s pointed barbs. The so-called “full video” was subtly edited to make it seem as if Norton’s “light applause” comment was a reference to his entrance with Rogen. The stream also cut out a throw-away joke Rogen made a few minutes later in describing the work of the physics prize winner, Gerardus ‘t Hooft of the University of Utrecht. Using the metaphor of a wheel to illustrate the concept of symmetry, Rogen said the wheel could roll either left or right — and quipped that the crowd would “roll right,” according to a source in the audience. The edited version skips over the joke and cuts straight to Norton’s response: “But that would break the symmetry.”
When asked why Rogen’s potentially embarrassing comments were excised, a spokesperson for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation said, “This year’s ceremony lasted longer than the prior few years, and several edits were made in order to meet the originally planned run time.”
So, it sounds like Ed Norton could stand to brush up on his improv muscles? But in all seriousness, I’m Team Rogen for riffing from the heart, no question. Bless that sassy Canadian with his razor sharp wit! If the Breakthrough Prize’s producers areshocked and surprised by Rogen’s remarks, then they haven’t done their homework. (And their “explanation” for the targeted editing was super lame.) Case in point: the 2021 Emmys where Rogen, fabulously dressed in shades of coral, flatly called out the show for not delivering on their outdoor promise, in the midst of a pandemic. Not to mention the fact that, oh yeah, Rogen is completely right about everything he said! And remember, when he made those RFK Jr digs, the latest news was about the 10,000+ employees who’d been laid off across US health agencies; we now have new reporting that those massive cuts are just the beginning. Like Jane Fonda said at the SAGs, this is not a drill. We need more people to emulate Rogen, and publicly call out exactly what is happening here.
And finally, congratulations to Gerardus t’ Hooft, for winning both the physics prize, and the name game.
photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com, Faye’s Vision/Cover Images
Team Rogen all the way. Censorship in action😥😥.
First step towards totalitarian dictatorship…hamstring the first amendment.
I’m a huge admirer of Rogan’s work—my husband is always amazed at how prolific he is despite his THC intake! It’s refreshing to see him speaking truth, though I’m not surprised (just disappointed) that the show didn’t want to challenge Elon or Trump. We’re witnessing some of the most significant rollbacks in government accountability and human rights since Reconstruction. Also, credit to Rogan for taking a clear public stance in ending his friendship and professional ties with James Franco in light of the serious allegations of sexual misconduct. That kind of public accountability matters.
I am absolutely not one of these people, but THC doesn’t affect everyone the same. It amazes me. My husband puffs on his delta 8 or delta when he needs to focus. It eliminates his anxiety and enables him to concentrate. It’s baffling to me but it’s a drug that affects people differently. I can’t understand it, because THC makes me a paranoid wreck, haha.
The world would be a better place if we had more Seth Rogens. He’s really only one of a few celebs that I openly fangirl. I wish we had more high profile people who weren’t afraid to call these assholes out. Imagine if George Carling or Anthony Bourdain were still alive. Alas, at least Bill Burr and Seth Rogen are still kickin….
If we live through this we’ll remember the cowards.
Thank you, Seth!