The boxing legend had previously criticized 'Mike,' a movie premiering Aug. 25. He called it "tone-deaf cultural misappropriation."
This time around, Mike Tyson again is calling out Hulu over the upcoming limited series about his life. The former boxing heavyweight champion criticized the streamer on social media over 'Mike'. The show stars Trevante and premieres August 25. Tyson claimed that Hulu “stole my life story,” he also mentioned that he was not involved or even financially compensated for the project.
He went on instagram on Saturday and posted this message , “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master.” He further wrote , “Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life. It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me. To Hulu executives, I’m just a n— they can sell on the auction block.”
Tyson went further and shared his thoughts via a number of tweets that day, he said , “Hulu stole my story. They’re Goliath and I’m David. Heads will roll for this.” Another tweet read, “Hulu’s model of stealing life rights of celebrities is egregiously greedy.”
Before that day, Tyson claimed on social media that Hulu offered UFC president Dana White “millions” to promote the show. However “He turned it down because he honors friendship and treating people with dignity,” Tyson concluded in his post. Tyson voiced the same concerns in February 2021 when the show was first announced. He referred to it as “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation.” In a since-deleted-instagram post.
Tyson is featuring in a different TV project about his life that is currently in works in which Jamie Foxx and Antoine Fuqua are executive producer and director respectively. 'Mike' isn't actually the first biographical project to receive criticism from subjects who infact weren't involved. It's quite common for dramatizations of public figures and oftentimes, without their input and consent.
During 'Mike' presentation earlier this month at the Television Critics Association press tour, the executive producer Steven Rogers (I, Tonya) and showrunner Karin Gist both said they do not have intentions of portraying Tyson as either a hero or villain. He said “We just wanted to tell an unbiased story and have the audience decide what they think or feel,” “Challenging what people think they know about Mike and hoping that they come away from the series with something else to think about.” He added.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Hulu for comments.
