The Friday three-film franchise has had a solid fan base for 30 years.

Written by Ice Cube and directed by F. Gary Gray, Friday follows Craig (Ice Cube) and his stoner friend Smokey (Chris Tucker) as they try to come up with the $200 they owe a local bully named Big Worm (Faizon Love).

Friday, which hit the Netflix library on March 1 and is now charting among the streamer’s top 10 movies, was largely inspired by Ice Cube’s real-life experiences and neighborhood friends.

“Everything that happened in Friday has happened on my street, at one point or another,” he told Consequence in 2015. “These characters, and these situations, are real and that’s why they play. That’s why they work and people respond to them.”

The 1995 comedy was followed by two more movies — Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002) — but Ice Cube still believes the first one was “the best one,” he told Baller Alert in 2024.

Most of the Friday cast were up-and-coming actors at the time, including Nia Long, Regina King and Bernie Mac — all of whom became household names in the entertainment industry.

Here’s everything to know about where the cast of Friday is now.

Ice Cube as Craig Jones

Ice Cube wrote, produced and starred in Friday. He played one of the lead characters, Craig.

At the time, Ice Cube was already well-known as a rapper and member of the hip-hop group N.W.A., but his acting career skyrocketed after his 1995 passion project premiered. He went on to star in several successful films such as Anaconda (1997), Barbershop (2002) and Ride Along (2014).

Ice Cube has been married to his wife, Kimberly Woodruff, since 1992. The couple share four kids: O’Shea Jr., Darrell, Kareema and Shareef. In 2015, O’Shea portrayed his dad in Straight Outta Compton, which was also directed by F. Gary Gray.

Chris Tucker as Smokey

Friday marked Chris Tucker’s first-ever starring role. He portrayed Craig’s best friend, Smokey — a play on the fact that he enjoyed a bit of recreational drug use.

“That was my shot. It let people know that I could carry a movie,” he told GQ in April 2023. “Working next to Ice Cube was a pleasure.”

Tucker is best known for his role as Carter in the Rush Hour franchise. He’s now supporting his son Destin Christopher’s filmmaking aspirations. He shares Destin with his ex-wife, Azja Pryor, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2003.

Nia Long as Debbie

Nia Long had a few acting credits under her belt before she played Debbie in Friday.

Long later worked with Ice Cube in 2005’s Are We There Yet? and 2007’s Are We Done Yet?, playing his wife. She was also a series regular on two major TV series: Third Watch and NCIS: Los Angeles.

The actress has two sons: Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, her only child with ex-fiancé Massai Z. Dorsey, and Kez Sunday Udoka, whom she welcomed with her second ex-fiancé, Ime Udoka.

Anna Maria Horsford as Mrs. Jones

Anna Maria Horsford played Craig’s mom, Mrs. Jones, in Friday and 2002’s Friday After Next.

Between those films, she appeared in 80 episodes of The Wayans Bros. Most recently, she portrayed Denise Sampson in Netflix’s No Good Deed, after a 77-episode run on The Bold and the Beautiful.

John Witherspoon as Mr. Jones

John Witherspoon portrayed Craig’s father, Mr. Jones, in all three Friday films.

Prior to his death in 2019 at age 77, Witherspoon voiced Robert “Grandad” Freeman in The Boondocks and starred in Black Jesus for three seasons.

The actor shared two sons, Alexander and John David, with his wife, Angela, whom he married in 1988.

Regina King as Dana Jones

Regina King played Craig’s sister, Dana Jones, in Friday.

King went on to star in several more cult-classic films, including Jerry Maguire (1996), Daddy Day Care (2003) and A Cinderella Story (2004). Most recently, she portrayed the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress, Shirley Chisholm, in 2024’s Shirley.

The actress was previously married to Ian Alexander Sr. from 1997 to 2007. They shared one son, Ian Alexander Jr., who died by suicide in 2022.

Faizon Love as Big Worm

Faizon Love played the neighborhood bully Big Worm in Friday. Ice Cube also cast him in 1998’s The Players Club.

Nowadays, most fans know Love from The Replacements (2000), Elf (2003) and Just My Luck (2006).

Bernie Mac as Pastor Clever

Bernie Mac had a smaller role in Friday as Pastor Clever, but his career only went up from there.

Before his expected death in 2008, Mac starred in fan favorites Bad Santa (2003), Mr. 3000 (2004) and Guess Who (2005). However, he’s best known for The Bernie Mac Show, which ran for five seasons.

Mac married his wife, Rhonda McCullough, in 1977. The couple shared one daughter, Je’Niece.

Tom Lister Jr. as Deebo

The late Tom Lister Jr., who died in 2020, portrayed Deebo in Friday and its sequel.

Fans also knew him from 1997’s The Fifth Element and Jackie Brown as well as the voice of Finnick in Disney’s Zootopia (2016).

Lister Jr. married Felicia Forbes in 2003, and the couple later welcomed a daughter named Faith, per The New York Times.