Chris Tucker Reveals Why He Never Returned to the “Friday” Movie Franchise

Chris Tucker portrayed one of the most iconic figures in Black film, and yet, he was noticeably absent from the “Friday” sequels, much to the fan’s dismay. Now, the actor is clearing the air about why he was not involved in the follow-up films.

The 50-year-old comedian conducted an interview with All Urban Central, where he revealed that he never appeared in the “Friday” franchise after the 1995 inaugural movie was due to the marijuana depiction.

“That movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smoking weed, 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 weed.'” Tucker went on to add that deciding to leave the character of “Smokey” behind opened the door for him to pursue other iconic roles such as that of “Ruby Rhod” in 1997’s “The Fifth Element,” and “Carter” in the “Rush Hour” series.

“Friday” arrived in theaters on April 26th, 1995, and became an instant cult classic. “Next Friday” followed up in 2000, then “Friday After Next” in 2002. The final installment titled “Last Friday” has been in limbo for years and remains uncertain if it will ever get a release date.

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