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Omari Hardwick is opening up about the drama between his Power co-stars Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Naturi Naughton. The two previously clashed over a shady Instagram post made by 50 Cent, in which he trolled Naughton over her looks. Hardwick recalled Naughton being “really upset” with 50 over what he’d said and stepping in to help diffuse the situation.

Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton pose for a photo in black outfits at a TV event
Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton | Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for STARZ

What happened between 50 Cent and Naturi Naughton

The saga started in 2019, when the rapper, seemingly out of nowhere, shared a meme on the Internet making fun of Naughton’s appearance. He would later apologize for his comments after facing swift backlash from the public, including Naughton, who called him “mean.” She further discussed her feelings to Page Six, but noted that she had already moved on.

“He knew what he did was shady and apologized for it,” she told the outlet of the situation. “He realized it wasn’t the nicest thing to do. I accepted his apology, I’ve moved on.”

Omari Hardwick revealed his reaction to 50 Cent trolling Naturi Naughton

Speaking on the podcast People’s Party with Talib Kweli, Hardwick admitted he was surprised to hear what had unfolded between his co-stars.

“I was in South Africa [at the time] and she called really upset about it,” he said of Naughton. “And it was really a moment, and I had to catch up with it because I didn’t catch it. So she brought it to my attention.”

“Was it a desire for me to reach out to 50? I don’t know,” he continued. “But as a brother — and I’ll always consider myself a brother to him — I said, ‘5…’ And he said, ‘Oh, you know I just be having fun.’ And I know, 50 will take shots at me sometimes, but I’m just made a bit different.”

“And I don’t want Naturi to feel… I know 50 loves Omari. I don’t know if 50 always likes me, I know 50 loves me. And that’s enough for me. So I think for her, I was just trying to remind her that he loves [her],” he added.

Hardwick said he always gives “grace and mercy” to 50 Cent because of the trauma of his past. “I always give grace and mercy for him being hurt and then in remembering that he’s hurt, then I remember that hurt people hurt people,” he noted. But at the same time, he “always will” stand up for people in such situations.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet reached out to representatives for both 50 Cent and Naughton for comment on Hardwick’s remarks but did not immediately hear back.

Omari Hardwick on his future with the ‘Power’ shows

Power would eventually end its six-season run in 2020, with the death of Hardwick’s character James “Ghost” St. Patrick. However, it birthed several spinoffs, starting with Power Book II: Ghost.

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Released in August of 2020, the show is the second chapter of the story and centers his son Tariq St. Patrick in the aftermath of Ghost’s death. It features few original characters outside of Michael Rainey Jr. (Tariq St. Patrick), but sometimes, familiar faces pop up.

Ghost’s death obviously rules him out of returning in that way, but Hardwick has said he’d be open to the idea of coming back to the role in ghost form.

“Hell, you name the guy Ghost and so there’s always, to me, a possibility of being just that,” he told the podcast Higher Learning With Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.

He continued: “I would come back but perhaps in a spinoff just in a space to give leverage to the show to go, OK, Ghost is speaking to Tariq, but we know he’s not actually there. OK, Ghost is in Tommy’s head, but is he really there? You know, just leaving that mystique. But I’d always be open [to coming back]. [Power] changed my life.”

Maybe one day we could have all three of them back for a scene together. That would be epic.

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