Ice Cube is publicly addressing Katt Williams’ statements about Friday After Next in his interview with Shannon Sharpe on “Club Shay Shay.”
On the show, Katt Williams claims that Rickey Smiley wasn’t initially supposed to have the role of Money Mike although Smiley previously stated he did. In a nine-minute video, Cube addressed the situation and confirmed some of the things that Williams said.
“As far as specific things, Katt was 100 on a few things,” Cube said. “Most of what he was saying- a couple of things I just wanna clarify. When we bring in a new comedian we do have them try out for different roles. So Ricky did give Money Mike a shot. But when we saw him and saw how he moved and how he was auditioning, we decided he would be a better Santa Claus, which to me was a perfect casting. When we saw Katt, when I saw him I just knew that he was perfect for Money Mike.”
My comments on the @KattWilliams @ShannonSharpe interview. pic.twitter.com/HFsJGxusot
— Ice Cube (@icecube) January 5, 2024
“Katt said he wrote his role, which the role was written, but he enhanced it. This is why Katt was so dope in the movie,” Cube said. “Money Mike had a small 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.”
Cube also commented on the rape scene that Williams mentioned in the interview, saying “We would never, ever show that. That’s not my style.”
In Williams’ interview, he claimed that in the original script of the movie, Money Mike was raped in the bathroom.
“The problem with Friday After Next is we’re trying to make a classic comedy, and this comedy involves a rape, and rape is never funny no matter who it happens to or what the circumstances are,” Williams said.
