The Emmy Darling With 23 Nominations: How Much of It Comes From Real-Life Stories?

Seth Rogen’s latest project, The Studio, is one of the most talked-about comedies of the year. The Apple TV+ series follows Matt Remick, the head of a struggling Hollywood studio, as he tries to protect his love for cinema while also dealing with the pressures of the business. Rogen not only stars in the show but also co-created and directed it.

The series has already earned wide recognition. It premiered in March 2025, quickly won praise from critics, and went on to score 23 Emmy nominations, making it one of the most celebrated comedies of the season.

Alongside Rogen, the cast includes Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn.

Recently, Rogen sat down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show to talk about where the inspiration for The Studio came from.

He said the show reflects a constant struggle in Hollywood: the clash between creativity and profit. “In the show, I run a Hollywood movie studio that exists in today’s version,” he explained. “And in the show, the major conflict is one I’m sure you’re familiar with is that of, like, art versus commerce. And my character loves movies and is a huge movie fan, but as the head of a studio often has to make choices that make movies worse.”

Rogen added that his character often ends up disappointing directors and actors. “He doesn’t want to get fired, and that conflict I think is at the heart of show business,” he said.

Colbert then asked if that tension came from real experiences. That’s when Rogen admitted a Hollywood executive once told him the same thing his character says on the show: that his job is to ruin movies, even though he loves them.

“Very much so!” Rogen replied. He recalled a meeting from early in his career when he and Evan Goldberg were rewriting a script. They wanted to make it bold and R-rated, but the executive pushed back. Rogen remembered the moment clearly: “He hung his head and said exactly that: ‘I got into this because I love movies and now it’s my job to ruin them.’”

Later, Rogen confirmed that the executive was Steve Asbell, now the president of 20th Century Studios. Rogen laughed as he said, “He’s great. He’s a lovely guy, but he’s very conflicted about what he has to do.”

But that wasn’t the only real-life story that shaped the series. Rogen also shared an experience from the Golden Globes. He said an entire episode of The Studio was inspired by an incident at the awards show.

After one of his films won, he saw an executive crying at the afterparty. “We assumed they were crying because we won and they were happy. We went over and we’re like, ‘We won! Is that why you’re crying?’ And they said, ‘No, they forgot to thank me during the speech.’” That moment later became a full episode in the series.

According to Rogen, the person it was based on recognized themselves and wasn’t too happy about it. “In no uncertain terms, they yelled at me very recently,” he admitted.

Colbert also asked if others in Hollywood had reached out after recognizing themselves in the show. Rogen said yes, adding with a laugh, “I’ve been yelled at three times in the last week. Some of them are pleased, some of them are not pleased, I will say.”

At the same time, some people thought the show was about them when it wasn’t. Rogen recalled one studio executive calling him, saying it felt so true to their story that they cried while watching. Rogen joked, “I didn’t have the heart to tell him, but I was like, ‘It’s not based on you at all, man.’”

With its mix of satire, awkward comedy, and personal truths from the industry, The Studio has not only entertained audiences but also stirred up conversation among the very executives it pokes fun at.

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