Ice Cube Alleges Chris Tucker Declined Friday Sequel Due to Religious Beliefs

Ice Cube has revealed that Chris Tucker declined a role in the sequel to “Friday” due to religious reasons. Despite being offered a high salary, Tucker, Cube’s co-star in the successful 1995 stoner comedy, opted not to participate in the follow-up film.

In a recent tweet, the 52-year-old actor and rapper addressed speculation about Tucker’s departure from the project, stating, “We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons.” Cube further explained that Tucker was reluctant to portray a character who used profanity and smoked marijuana on screen.

Tucker, known for his role in the “Rush Hour” franchise, elaborated on his decision during an interview with All Urban Central. He cited his discomfort with the portrayal of his marijuana-smoking character, Smokey, as the primary reason for declining the sequel.

Reflecting on his decision, the 50-year-old actor explained, “I said, man, that movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smoking weeԀ – and I never really told people this because I kind of forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didn’t do it. Because I said, ‘I don’t wanna represent everybody smoking weeԀ.’ And that’s one of the reasons why I said ‘nah’. I didn’t wanna keep doing that character.”

Cube, who also served as a producer on all three “Friday” films, including “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next,” provided insight into Tucker’s departure from the franchise, shedding light on the actor’s personal beliefs and artistic choices.