Rogen’s first exposure to the entertainment field began with commercial work in Canada at the age of 13. After trying his hand as a standup comic, Rogen snapped up his first starring role in the Judd Apatow/Paul Feig 1980s-set teen series Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) with only two auditions. He played cynical, acerbic “freak” Ken Miller. Apatow was very impressed with Rogen’s improvisational skills. After the show was cancelled in the middle of its first season, Rogen was cast in a similar role in Apatow’s second, also short-lived series, Undeclared (2001-2002), and went on to write several episodes. In 2001, Rogen also had minor roles in Donnie Darko (playing Ricky Danforth) and Dawson’s Creek, in an episode he claims he never saw. Following the cancellation of his second series in 2002, Rogen developed a soured attitude toward television, not wanting to act on another show unless Apatow was involved.

Rogen’s first major writing job was for Apatow’s second short-lived television series, Undeclared, for which he was hired as a writer before he was offered an acting role. During the show’s run, Rogen wrote one episode by himself and co-wrote four others.

Rogen’s experience with Undeclared paid off when he and his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, joined the writing staff of Da Ali G Show for its second season. In 2005, the Ali G Show writing staff, including Rogen and Goldberg, received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program category. As it turned out, Rogen had signed on to the show for what became its final season; Da Ali G Show ended due to the creative decision that its mode of “surprise” comedy would become unsustainable if the show continued much longer. Rogen’s association with the show’s star, Sacha Baron Cohen, was not over, however; In a recent interview with Tokion Magazine(Issue 55), Rogen claimed to have made uncredited contributions to Cohen’s film version of Borat. Rogen credits much of his comedic style, as well as his success, to his second cousin, Oliver Davies, who encouraged him to keep working at his comedy even when times got tough and left him “always wanting more.” The famous “you’re gay” scene from the Forty-Year-Old Virgin, for instance, was written by Davies. Rogen’s most recent project is the 2007 comedy, Superbad, the script for which he wrote years ago as a starring vehicle for himself. The Superbad team then looked for “an 18-year-old version” of Rogen and chose frequent Rogen collaborator Jonah Hill. Rogen also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Owen Wilson vehicle, Drillbit Taylor, which is based on a 70-page scriptment written by John Hughes.