At the 2025 Breakthrough Prize ceremony earlier this month, actor Seth Rogen made political jokes while presenting an award. However, those remarks were cut from the official broadcast of the event, which was later posted on YouTube.
While on stage at the ceremony—often referred to as the “Oscars of Science”—Rogen said that former President Donald Trump had “single-handedly destroyed all of American science.” He also criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Secretary of Health and Human Services. Rogen added, “It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and R.F.K. Jr. very fast.”
Rogen presented the award alongside actor Edward Norton. They were introducing Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard ’t Hooft, who was being honored for his contributions to understanding the basic particles of the universe. Their appearance occurred roughly 90 minutes into the event, which included notable attendees such as Jeff Bezos and founding sponsors Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin.
The video posted by organizers on YouTube, however, skipped Rogen’s jokes entirely. Instead, the edited version begins with a description of ’t Hooft’s early life and scientific achievements.
The reason for the cuts remains somewhat unclear. Rogen’s reference to “$320 million” was not explained, but the Trump administration has previously been criticized for cutting billions in research funding. This included reductions to grants distributed by the National Institutes of Health, efforts to limit funding for academic institutions, and proposed cuts at the National Science Foundation. Under the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, there have also been attempts to dismiss hundreds of federal science workers. Officials have reportedly suggested shutting down the research division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as well.
The Breakthrough Prize Foundation issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a media partner of the April 5 event, saying that the edits were due to time constraints.
“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,” the statement read.
It is not clear whether other parts of the ceremony were also removed.
This year’s Breakthrough Prize event awarded more than $18 million to scientists. The winners were recognized for major discoveries in gene editing, human diseases, and fundamental physics.
Rogen could not be reached for comment as of Wednesday.
