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Mike Tyson has accused Hulu of stealing his story to produce “Mike,” an upcoming limited series about his life and career.
The boxing legend took aim at the streaming giant in a series of scathing social media posts voicing his displeasure with the show and Hulu’s handling of the production. Set to debut on Aug. 25, the eight-episode series “explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life - from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again” and stars Trevante Rhodes in the title role.
Tyson, 56, shared an Instagram post Saturday with a caption calling Hulu the “streaming version of the slave master” and claimed the company “stole my story and didn’t pay me.” He then sent a message to his supporters emphasizing that he did not support any aspect of the production, which Hulu has also described as “an unauthorized and no-holds-barred look at the life of Mike Tyson.”
“Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life,” Tyson wrote on Instagram. “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-word] they can sell on the auction block.”
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Roughly 24 hours prior, Tyson began his tirade on Twitter with a story involving UFC owner Dana White. The former heavyweight champion said Hulu attempted to pay White to promote “Mike” without “offering me a dollar,” only for White to decline the offer out of consideration for Tyson.
“Hulu tried to desperately pay my brother @danawhite millions without offering me a dollar to promote their slave master take over story about my life. He turned it down because he honors friendship and treating people with dignity. I’ll never forget what he did for me just like I’ll never forget what Hulu stole from me.”
Tyson continued to address the situation Saturday in more tweets expressing his frustration with the company. He declared that “heads will roll” for the production, and even took a moment to send a tweet addressing Hulu directly.
“Hey @hulu I’m not a [N-word] you can sell on the auction block #slaveryisover #f—hulu,“ he wrote. Another tweet sent one minute later read, “Hulu’s model of stealing life rights of celebrities is egregiously greedy #headswillroll.“
A few hours later, Tyson sent a follow-up tweet claiming producers lied to his friends by saying he supported the show. “Someone should get fired from Hulu. Producers were lying to my friends saying I supported the unauthorized series about my life,” he shared.
Tyson’s social media activity comes on the heels of his response to comments made by “Mike” executive producers Steven Rogers and Karin Gist during a virtual Television Critics Association panel on Thursday. In regards to Tyson’s past criticism concerning the approach to the show, Rogers told reporters that showrunners couldn’t talk to Tyson “because his life rights were already taken, so that was never on the table.”
“I would hope that if he watches it that he would change his opinion,” Rogers continued, according to Entertainment Tonight. “For me, as a writer, as a storyteller, I don’t really like to be reliant on just one source. I really like to do the research and get all these different opinions and then put a story around all of that. I don’t like to be beholden to just one person.”
Tyson later issued a response to ET through a representative saying his life rights option “expired years ago” and that “Hulu nor any of their supercilious team ever tried to engage in any negotiations with this Black man.” He also stated that he will “always remember this blatant disregard of my dignity.”
Tyson’s outspoken disapproval of the series dates back to its announcement in February 2021, when he called the project a “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story.”
"Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising," Tyson said at the time, via the Associated Press. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story.”
Hulu has yet to issue a statement regarding Tyson’s claims.
The first two episodes of “Mike” are set to premiere on Aug. 25 with two new episodes debuting each week after.
