Ice Cube says Chris Tucker turned down $12 million to return for 'Friday' sequel due to 'religious reasons'

• Ice Cube tweeted Wednesday that Chris Tucker turned down $10-$12 million to return for the sequel.
• "He turned us down for religious reasons," Cube tweeted.

There has always been a debate as to why Chris Tucker didn't return for the sequel to the 1995 hit stoner comedy, "Friday."

On Wednesday the franchise's star, Ice Cube, cleared things up, claiming on Twitter that despite offering Tucker up to $12 million to return, Tucker turned it down due to "religious reasons."

—Ice Cube (@icecube) December 29, 2021

The surprise hit comedy starring Cube and Tucker as two friends who spend their day getting high and running from a drug dealer they owe money to became a sensation and made Tucker an overnight sensation.

But when it came time for the sequel, Tucker's Smokey character wasn't there. It led to Cube starring opposite Mike Epps for "Next Friday" in 2000 (the duo also starred in the third movie in the franchise, 2002's "Friday After Next").

In an interview with All Urban Central in November, Tucker went into detail as to why weed was the reason he didn't return to the franchise.

"That movie became a phenomenon," Tucker said looking back. "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.'"

"It probably was good for me because it kept me moving to the next phase and next movies," added Tucker, who went on to become a huge star thanks to the "Rush Hour" movies in which he starred opposite Jackie Chan.

However, Tucker said in the All Urban Central interview that he's now willing to come back for another "Friday" movie, if it ever happens.

"My fans love the movies so much [and] they always bring it up — I said, well, if they come to me with a great script and a great idea, I'd definitely consider it," Tucker said. "But it's been so long ago and that character became such a great character. I don't wanna mess it up."

Cube, who along with starring in the franchise is also its screenwriter and producer, has been working on a fourth movie, "Last Friday," for years.