Ride Along star Ice Cube told Tucker Carlson why he gave up a $9 million payday to avoid getting vaccinated for COVID-19.
The former N.W.A. rapper and Carlson took a ride through South Central Los Angeles in Episode 10 of the former Fox News star’s Twitter show.
In Fall of 2021, Ice Cube exited Sony comedy Oh Hell No, which he would have starred in beside Jack Black, over the producer’s request that the entire cast get vaccinated to be on set.
Quitting the gig cost him millions, and Carlson why he would pass up that kind of money by ignoring a “direct order.”
Ep. 10 Stay in your lane: our drive through South Central LA with Ice Cube.
(next episode: Ice Cube sits down with us at his studio) pic.twitter.com/cUgCh2xccH
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 25, 2023
“I’m not really good with direct orders,” Ice Cube stated.
When Carlson joked that getting vaccinated was a “command” from the studio, which they “couldn’t have been clearer about,” the rapper turned the tables and asked if the host had taken the jab.
“Of course not,” Carlson replied with a chuckle.
“It wasn’t ready. It was six months, kind of rush job,” the Friday star explained. “And I didn’t feel safe.”
Carlson insisted that lawmakers and government agencies told the nation that the vaccine “was safe.”
“I know what they said. I heard what they said – I heard them loud and clear,” Ice Cube retorted.
“But it’s not their decision. There is no repercussions if they are wrong. I get all the repercussions if they are wrong.”
The multi-hyphenate celebrity said it wasn’t hard to walk away from the project, despite the money he lost out on.
“I wanted to be an example for my kids,” he detailed. “Make sure they didn’t take it either.”
“I was willing to stand on my convictions and that I was willing to lose nine million dollars, or more.”
The former Fox News star noted that Ice Cube was labeled an anti-vaxxer and “attacked” by the media at the time, including being mocked on Saturday Night Live.
“I never told anyone not to get vaccinated, publicly,” he commented. “That was never my message to the world.”
‘I didn’t even want people to know whether I got vaccinated or not. I was pretty upset that that even came out,” he detailed.
“I was just going to quietly not take it and deal with the consequences as they came.”
Carlson questioned if the Boyz n the Hood star knew anyone who had experienced negative side affects from getting the shot.
“I do, and they suffer every day, and it’s hard to watch,” he told the host. “Suffering in silence is not the answer all the time.”
“Sometimes you have to let people know what’s going on, and move the needle. If it’s true, why can’t I say it?”
Carlson cackled as he responded “you can’t say it because it is true.”
“There it is, that’s the problem with the world today,” Ice Cube concluded.
In an interview with Piers Morgan earlier this month, the “Straight Outta Compton” rapper sang the same tune about not having “one regret” over walking away from the role.
"My family could have used that money… but your health is worth more than all the money in the world."
Ice Cube tells Piers Morgan why he turned down a $9m movie deal so he didn't have to take the Covid vaccine.@icecube | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/g2dZ88HEE5
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) July 17, 2023
When Morgan joked that the star must be richer than he thought, Ice Cube said that “everybody can use $9 million,” despite how rich they “think they are.”
“I could have used that money, my family could have used that money,” he continued. “I felt like your health is worth more than all the money in the world.”
“Because if you had all the money in the world and you wasn’t healthy, you would use that money to get healthy.”
The Barbershop actor said that the vaccine was an “experimental drug” and there was no data on its “long-term effects” at the time.
“I’m vaccinated,” he stated about receiving childhood inoculations. “But these are drugs that have been tested for decades and you know pretty much all of the side effects.”
Ice cube noted that the pharmaceutical companies profited heavily off the pandemic while businesses were shut down.
“It’s kind of like the war machine,” he concluded. “If you make the bullets and the band-aids, you’re going to always want to be in a war because it’s profitable.”