Ice Cube Links Oprah Snub To Mike Epps’ Unscripted Movie Joke

Ice Cube isn’t claiming a feud with Oprah Winfrey, but he’s pointing to a joke from a Mike Epps movie as a possible issue.

The rapper revisited his absence from a “Barbershop” cast appearance while sitting beside the comedian who delivered the line.

During their November 11 “Club Shay Shay” interview with Shannon Sharpe, Cube said, “I ain’t got no beef with Oprah. None.” He then brought up “All About the Benjamins,” recalling an Oprah reference Epps made during the film’s fish-tank scene.

Epps’ character refuses to retrieve a gun from the tank, using a crude sexual comparison involving Winfrey to explain his reluctance.

Cube suggested the joke might explain why he wasn’t included when his “Barbershop” co-stars appeared on her talk show. The action comedy arrived in 2002, with Cube and Epps playing a bounty hunter and a hustler.

“That was not in the script, homie,” Cube said when the conversation turned to who supplied the joke. Epps addressed Winfrey directly: “Oprah, you know I love you.” He also recalled his mother’s fondness for her show.

Cube’s complaints about missing an Oprah appearance go back much further than this week’s interview.

His criticism was already public in 2006, when Ludacris was also challenging how the daytime host handled rappers visiting her program to discuss their film work.

Ludacris appeared with his “Crash” co-stars in October 2005 and later criticized how the interview was edited. Winfrey publicly rejected the idea that she disliked the music, naming artists she listened to as rappers questioned how they were treated on her show.

Cube had already moved from N.W.A into acting with John Singleton’s “Boyz n the Hood” in 1991. His later work with Epps stretched across “Next Friday,” “All About the Benjamins” and “Friday After Next,” combining written dialogue with room for the comedian’s improvisation.

Their newest interview also comes as they work toward another installment of the “Friday” franchise. Cube has said the story will determine who returns for “Last Friday,” while Epps has been hearing from people hoping to join the movie.

Cube and Epps have also launched “Listen and Laugh,” with Dr. Dre appearing as their podcast’s first guest.