More than 30 years after “Friday” first hit theaters, Big Worm remains one of the comedy’s most recognizable characters despite appearing in only a handful of scenes.
Played by actor and comedian Faizon Love, Big Worm is a drug supplier who drives an ice cream truck and becomes a major problem for Craig and Smokey after Smokey fails to repay money he owes him. Big Worm did not appear in either of the franchise’s sequels, “Next Friday” or “Friday After Next”.
Love has said he was given the opportunity to return for “Next Friday” but declined after learning what he would be paid. So, who is Big Worm from “Friday,” what happened to Faizon Love after the movie, and why did he walk away from a character that helped make him famous?
Who Is Faizon Love, the Actor Behind Big Worm From ‘Friday’?
Love was born Langston Faizon Santisima in Santiago de Cuba in 1968 and grew up in San Diego and Newark, New Jersey, as part of a military family. According to his biography, he began performing stand-up as a teenager before moving into acting. One of his earliest major opportunities came when he provided the voice of the late comedian Robin Harris in the 1992 animated movie “Bébé’s Kids.”
He followed that with “The Meteor Man” and a recurring role on Robert Townsend’s sitcom “The Parent ’Hood.” Then came “Friday” in 1995. Love’s role as Big Worm became his breakout performance, but it was far from his last recognizable part.
Love later appeared in movies including “The Replacements,” “Elf,” “Blue Crush,” “Made” and “Couples Retreat.” He also voiced Sean “Sweet” Johnson in the hugely successful video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.”
How Love Turned His Character Into a ‘Friday’ Favorite
Big Worm enters “Friday” as Smokey’s supplier. However, the situation quickly becomes serious after Smokey sells some of his marijuana and then smokes the rest with Craig instead of producing the money.
That leaves Craig and Smokey scrambling to find $200 before Big Worm follows through on his threats. Love has said he committed to the character before he even officially had the job.
During an interview about his audition, Love recalled arriving already behaving like Big Worm rather than simply reading the part. He said he stayed in character through the audition and was offered the role before he made it home.
Despite Big Worm’s limited screen time, the character became one of the movie’s most memorable supporting figures alongside Deebo, Mrs. Parker and Mr. Jones. “Friday” itself grew far beyond its modest beginnings. The 1995 comedy, written by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh and directed by F. Gary Gray, became a lasting cult favorite and eventually produced two sequels.
Why Didn’t Faizon Love Return as Big Worm in ‘Next Friday’?
For years, fans wondered why Big Worm disappeared when “Next Friday” arrived in 2000. Love eventually provided a straightforward answer: the money was not enough. In a 2021 interview with Comedy Hype, Love said he earned about $2,500 for playing Big Worm in the original movie.
He explained that the relatively small paycheck did not bother him at the time because “Friday” had not yet become an iconic movie and the role gave him an important career opportunity. According to Love, he was subsequently offered about $5,000, or double scale, to return for “Next Friday.” He declined.
Love said that shortly afterward, he was offered a part in Warner Bros.’ football comedy “The Replacements” for about $100,000. When asked again in 2024 why he did not appear in the next two “Friday” movies, Love again pointed to compensation.
The specific $5,000 offer Love has described was for “Next Friday,” while his later comments more broadly connected his absence from both sequels to pay.
Ice Cube later responded to discussion about Love’s original salary. Cube said “Friday” was a low-budget production, that Love worked only one or two days and that the actors were paid scale according to their work on the film. Love, for his part, made clear that he did not blame Cube for what he earned and said he had “zero regrets” about accepting the role.
Could Big Worm Return to the ‘Friday’ Franchise?
Walking away from “Next Friday” did not mean Love permanently closed the door on Big Worm. When discussing the proposed fourth installment years later, Love said he would be willing to return, crediting Big Worm with helping establish him in Hollywood.
That possibility became more interesting in 2025 when Love said Ice Cube had personally contacted him about another “Friday” movie. However, no official casting announcement has confirmed Love’s return as Big Worm.
The long-awaited fourth movie, “Last Friday,” has since made progress. Ice Cube and Mike Epps said in May 2026 that the project was moving forward and was expected to begin filming later in the year. By July, they had completed and submitted the script.
Whether Big Worm will be part of that return remains unclear. For now, though, the answer to one of the franchise’s longest-running questions is straightforward: Love says he declined the offer to return for “Next Friday” because the compensation was not enough and chose a more lucrative opportunity instead.
