John Salley found out the hard way that looking out for your friends is sometimes frowned upon. The retired NBA player is among the guests to rehash memorable moments and share hot takes on current pop culture topics on the “That’s F—led Up” podcast.
During his appearance, Salley recalled getting his first major acting role working alongside his friends Martin Lawrence and Will Smith on the 1995 buddy cop film “Bad Boys.” Unbeknownst to most fans, the tension between his and Lawrence’s characters was real.
“When Michael Bay put me in the movie, he [Lawrence] used that pissed off energy. In ‘Bad Boys’ one, that was real when he poking me in my head, he was mad at some s—t,” explained the four-time NBA champion.
As it turns out, Salley made a faux pas when he met the comedian and his then-fiancée — who was then known as Patricia Southall — during a night out in Miami, where the movie was being filmed.
He first recalled being blown away by how “fine” the pageant winner, who was Miss Virginia USA in 1994, was. “She’s sitting there, and you know these beautiful green eyes,” he recalled about their introduction.
Within moments of the greeting, he blurted out, “Y’all got a prenup?” The unexpected question stunned Lawrence and Southall. He further recalled the “Martin” star addressing the matter when Salley paid him a visit on set. As fate would have it, his trip to the set also landed him the recurring role as the police department’s IT guy.
The former sports show host explained that he meant no harm by asking about the prenup, in fact, he thought it was the right thing to say. “I thought that’s what friends say. So he got up on set like, ‘Man, come here. Don’t be saying that, man, in front of my crew in front of my women. That’s some bulls—t man, you don’t say that kind of stuff.’”
“I did the same thing to Sinbad … I go, ‘That’s what Sinbad said to me’ and I think it’s important that you realize that one of your friends is saying you need a prenup,” he said of his then-naive approach to looking out for his friend. “Did he call and thank you?” asked one of the co-hosts.
Fans reacted to the revelation.
“That’s a real friend.”
“Did Martin thank him.”
“I had a feeling because he was pointing on your head real hard.”
“I’m sorry if you have money and your friends arnt encouraging you to be wise about it than they are not your friends a prenup is absolutely good.”
When Salley appeared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast last Nov., he claimed Lawrence later thanked him for advice that saved him from shelling out millions following his divorce from Southall in 1997. Southall, now known as Pat Smith, went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in 2000.
In April, Smith and Lawrence began production on the fourth installment of the cop franchise, “Bad Boys 4.” Thus far, Salley has appeared in each of the films.
