Hacks, far and away one of the strongest and sure-to-sustain comedies of the 2020s, employed a key piece of 50 Cent and Ja Rule lore in its penultimate episode.
But before we dig into any of that, consider this a warning that what you’re about to read does indeed include spoilers for the acclaimed HBO comedy’s final season. To that end, if you’ve yet to dive into the Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder-led gem, remedy that immediately.
With that out of the way, let’s take a closer at how Fif and Ja’s longstanding feud proved pivotal in Thursday’s episode of Hacks, titled “The Garden” and directed by Lucia Aniello.
50 Cent and Ja Rule beef serves as inspiration for major Hacks plot point
The sheer volume of Fif and Ja posts I’ve penned over the years is, to put it mildly, borderline insurmountable. For headlines, it’s the gift that keeps on giving, with one specific entry in the saga serving as the basis for a temporarily heartbreaking, but ultimately empowering, hiccup in Deborah Vance’s (played by Jean Smart) Madison Square Garden ambitions. As show day arrives, it quickly becomes clear that, despite the shrewdly promoted (and decidedly high-stakes) performance having sold out in just 10 minutes, something nefarious is afoot.
Eventually, we learn that the venue is entirely empty, save for Bob Lipka (played by Tony Goldwyn), who offers a slow clap and reveals to Deborah that he bought up all the tickets in an attempt to silence her. He then tries to pressure her into signing an NDA, but Deborah stands firm, ultimately taking her show to Central Park thanks to both a surprise return from a character who will be familiar to longtime Hacks fans, and a Fall Out Boy stage that’s already been constructed in the outdoor space.
“This happens,” Randi (played by Robby Hoffman) later tells Deborah and crew. “Remember that one time 50 Cent bought out the entire Ja Rule concert just to fuck with him?”
Later, when Deborah crashes Today to promote the free Central Park show, Al Roker also compares Lipka’s actions to Fif’s.
“So, basically, Deborah, he Ja Rule’d you,” Roker says.
“Exactly, exactly,” Deborah responds. “What 50 Cent did to Ja Rule, Bob Lipka did to me.”
Did 50 Cent really buy up Ja Rule tickets just to fuck with him?
Back in 2018, Fif claimed on social media to have “bought 200 seats in the front so they can be empty,” referring to a Ja Rule show with affordably priced tickets. While some have remained skeptical as to whether the beef-loving artist and TV mogul actually purchased said tickets, he’s reiterated the claim multiple times over the years, including during a Watch What Happens Live appearance in 2019 and in an interview with Big Boy in 2024.
“I did," 50 Cent told Big Boy when asked point-blank to confirm whether he “really bought” the tickets. "Because they were cheap tickets. The tickets were very affordable. They was on StubHub.”
Interestingly, at least one Hacks fan appears to have predicted the 50-Ja influence on the penultimate episode:
