Seth Rogen’s pointed remarks about former President Donald Trump were cut from the official video of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize ceremony, though they appeared in the livestream on April 5. Rogen, who presented the Special Breakthrough Prize in Physics with Edward Norton, directed the comment toward attendees of the event, some of whom have been public supporters of Trump.
“It’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science,” Rogen said during the presentation. “It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr., very fast.”
The comment was omitted from both the full-length ceremony video published on the Breakthrough Prizes’ YouTube channel and from the shorter clip featuring Rogen and Norton. According to the organization, the removal was part of “several edits” made to fit a pre-planned runtime. The event was not broadcast on traditional television networks and faces no time constraints from programming schedules. The published version runs nearly 100 minutes.
Rogen and Norton presented the award to Dutch physicist Gerardus ’t Hooft, recognized for his work in quantum field theory. The Breakthrough Prizes, established in 2013, are supported by tech industry figures including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan, Anne Wojcicki, and Yuri and Julia Milner. Brin and Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago following the 2024 election, shortly before his inauguration.
The ceremony has drawn attendees from Silicon Valley and figures connected to the Trump administration, including Elon Musk, who appeared at the 2024 event. Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency after Trump’s reelection.
Rogen has made public criticisms of Trump before. In a recent interview with Esquire, he commented on political shifts in the United States, describing the ongoing division in cultural and political attitudes as a back-and-forth pattern. He said he tries to remain optimistic while acknowledging the consequences that leadership changes can have.
An attendee at the Breakthrough Prize ceremony said there was early speculation about whether Rogen’s remarks would be included in the final version. The delayed release of the edited videos added to those questions. When they were posted, the moment was missing.
