‘Oh Hell No’: Ice Cube ditches movie & $9 million after refusing to get Covid-19 vaccine

Rapper and actor Ice Cube has exited a movie for which he was supposed to be paid $9 million after refusing requests to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Ice Cube has left the ironically titled ‘Oh Hell No’ Sony comedy, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter. Cube, known for films like ‘Friday’ and songs such as ‘It Was a Good Day’, was set to co-star in the feature with comedic actor Jack Black. 

The production was set to kick off in December in Hawaii. Cube, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson, previously joined numerous other celebrities during the coronavirus pandemic and encouraged mask-wearing, even donating thousands of face coverings to an Oklahoma college. He also sold t-shirts during the pandemic encouraging masking and raising funds for healthcare workers. 

The artist’s view on vaccines, however, is a bit more murky. In June of 2020, he tweeted that doctors should “stop lying” about Covid-19. 

The tweet followed a June message reading, “Got the cue for the coronavirus,” which was linked to an album cover featuring someone getting a substance injected through a needle. The bottom of the image read, “lethal injection.”

Cube has declined to comment on his reported parting with the ‘Oh Hell No’ production. 

Hollywood performers who have stood against vaccine mandates or refused to get a vaccine themselves have thus far been primarily conservative artists. Comedian and actor Rob Schneider has frequently spoken out against mandates through his Twitter. 

Others have been more supportive of vaccines, with some insulting those in the entertainment industry who refuse vaccinations. Filmmaker George Clooney recently told The Hollywood Reporter it was “crazy” and “stupid” not to “sacrifice” and get vaccinated. ‘Mandalorian’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ star Giancarlo Esposito, meanwhile, said those who refuse to get inoculated should be “sequestered” on a “small island.”

Cube’s reported departure from the movie had many pro-mandate pundits celebrating on social media, with some even saying unvaccinated individuals should be kept from having a career.

Others found humor in the fact that Cube was making his alleged stand in a movie titled aptly, ‘Oh Hell No’.

Cube found himself embroiled in controversy last year and facing backlash from liberal critics after he consulted with Donald Trump’s administration on their ‘Platinum Plan’, aimed at passing reforms to help black Americans. 

“Now, I didn’t talk to Trump,” Cube later told Rolling Stone. “I’ve never met him in my life. So I talked to his people and made the adjustments to his plan. That’s just the truth.”

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