Ice Cube recently revealed on Twitter that Tucker was offered “$10 [to] $12 [million] to do “Next Friday,” but he turned [it] down for religious reasons. He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore.” Cube’s explanation might also explain why the actor became pickier about his roles after Smokey.

Tucker became a born-again Christian after his breakout role in “Friday,” which would affect his decision to return for a sequel. He felt like the swearing and drug habits of his “Friday” character no longer jived with his real-life morals, which made him lose interest in the part. In an interview with The Georgia Straight, Tucker discussed how his religious beliefs have altered his career and sense of humor. 

Although he admits he never told “raunchy” jokes, he didn’t always think through “what [he] was saying because [he] was young” and he thinks his faith has changed that. While he has been absent from movies, Tucker still performs stand-up comedy here and there, but he doesn’t swear or talk about anything remotely dirty, which he claims makes it more interesting. He appreciates that he can’t default to raunchiness and that he has “to dig deeper to find something that’s still funny.” This explains why a comedy like “Friday,” filled with jokes about sex and drugs, would no longer draw his attention. 

Tucker’s devotion to his faith is admirable, and it couldn’t have been easy to turn down millions of dollars, but it’s hard not to miss his on-screen comedic genius. Although, for now, he’s choosing to stay out of the spotlight, there is still a possibility that he might return to Hollywood with a character that aligns with his newfound beliefs, and I have no doubt he would still draw an audience.

In the meantime, Tucker has left us with plenty of characters and moments to enjoy. It will always make me laugh when Carter impersonates Michael Jackson as he directs traffic, and, much to Tucker’s chagrin, when Smokey lectures me on the finer points of weed-smoking rotation.