The responses to Katt Williams’ spicy Shannon Sharpe interview are continuing to roll in, and now Ice Cube’s entering the chat.
On Friday, Cube uploaded a 9-minute long video addressing the comic’s claims about Friday After Next.
Source: Roy Rochlin/ Bryan Steffy / Getty Images for Showtime
Katt said on Club Shay Shay that he created the role of Money Mike for the film and that Rickey Smiley was never considered for the part, despite Smiley previously saying that he was actually supposed to play the pimp, instead of Santa Claus in the film.
“This man told you he had Katt Williams’ role,” said the comedian to Shannon Sharpe. “He was going to be Money Mike, and Katt Williams was going to be the Santa Claus.”
He continued,
“We auditioned in Los Angeles. I was audition No. 201. Two-hundred Black comedians auditioned for the role of Money Mike with me. You’re saying all 201 of us was auditioning, and you had already had the role and had already shot the role in four days?!”
. @KattWilliams on @RickeySmiley & Money Mike Controversy From Friday After Next
“Hollywood has never heard this in a hundred years. He was so egregious I put in my contract that I won’t work with Rickey Smiley again unless he’s in a dress. What was Rickey Smiley’s next movie?” pic.twitter.com/MSJgyJJZs9
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) January 3, 2024
Rickey Smiley responded on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and said that he “had no reason to lie” but added, that “there was no way in the hell” he could have executed the role and he was satisfied that Katt ultimately played the part.
Ice Cube Responds To Katt Williams’ Friday After Next Claims
“It’s been over 20 years since the movie came out, and people have different perspectives,” Cube began his video before detailing what really went down when it came to the Money Mike character.
“Rickey did give Money Mike a shot,” said the N.W.A. rapper. “But when we saw him and, you know, we kind of saw how he moved and how he was, you know, auditioning, we decided that he would be a better, you know, Santa Claus, which was, to me, the perfect casting.
He also acknowledged that the comedian punched up the role with his own material.
“Katt said he wrote his role, which, I mean, the role was written, but he enhanced it… You know, Money Mike had a small role, you know, ‘bout as big as the Santa Claus role, but when we started filming he was giving us such magic that we kept expanding his role and giving him more to do because he was on point.”
Ice Cube confirms Rickey Smiley auditioned for the “Money Mike” role, but after his audition, he felt he would be better as the Santa character.
Also, Ice Cube says Katt Williams role as Money Mike, initially small, was expanded because his performance was magic. pic.twitter.com/d7tVBgvkvB
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) January 5, 2024
See what else Ice Cube had to say about Katt Williams’ claims on the flip.
Elsewhere in his video response, Ice Cube went on to deny a claim that Katt made that he had a rape scene featuring Money Mike and Terry Crew’s character Damon removed from Friday After Next.
Source: JB Lacroix / Getty
In the film, Mike defends himself against Damon with a pair of pliers, but Katt insisted that the scene was supposed to go further and he advocated for the sexual assault of Mike to be cut out.
According to Ice Cube, however, that’s inaccurate and “not his style.”
“I would never shoot a rape scene in a movie, especially Friday, where you actually see this happening on camera. That ain’t my style,” said Cube.
“The plier joke was always in the script,” he added. “We would never, ever show that. That’s not my style if you look at any of my movies. So, that was never a discussion.”
He continued,
“At that point in everybody’s career, we will listen to a certain extent, but we wasn’t gonna change the movie for it. For any actor, you know?” he said. “We do what we feel and if it was a rape scene, it would have been in the movie. There was no reason not to shoot it. But that’s not my style.”
Watch Ice Cube comment on Katt Williams below.
My comments on the @KattWilliams @ShannonSharpe interview. pic.twitter.com/HFsJGxusot
— Ice Cube (@icecube) January 5, 2024
