Ice Cube has departed from the film production Oh Hell Nah due to his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The rap legend was reportedly asked to get vaccinated prior to the start of the production by the film’s producers and decided to let the job go rather than agree to their request. The decision allegedly cost him $9 million in compensation.
He was scheduled to appear in the film alongside Jack Black. The production was scheduled to begin in the winter. Its start date will be pushed back due to the casting change.
Several unions in the entertainment industry issued a joint statement announcing their decision to mandate vaccines, at their discretion, on sets in July. The decision was initially supposed to be implemented on a temporary basis but has been extended.
“Producers will also have the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis,” the Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Basic Crafts, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), together with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) stated.
Ice Cube has donated time and resources to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. He has donated thousands of face masks and issued several statements supporting the wearing of masks using a flip of his catch phrase “Check yoself before you wreck yoself,” to aid the cause,
He is not the only celebrity to face consequences for deciding to remain unvaccinated. Professional basketball player Kyrie Irving was recently restricted from all team activities with the Brooklyn Nets including games and practices due to his refusal to become vaccinated. The athlete claimed he was told it would not be an issue before the start of the season.