Mike Tyson goes off on Hulu over new series
Nov 28, 2020; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Mike Tyson (black trunks) exits the ring after his split draw against Roy Jones, Jr. (white trunks) during a heavyweight exhibition boxing bout for the WBC Frontline Belt at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Scarnici/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Hulu is getting set to release a series chronicling the life of Mike Tyson, and the former heavyweight champion is irate that he was not involved with production in any way.
Tyson unloaded on Hulu in a series of social media posts on Saturday. The 56-year-old accused the streaming giant of stealing his life story for profit without offering to compensate him in any way. Tyson called Hulu “the streaming version of the slave master,” among other things.
“Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life,” Tyson, 56, wrote in a statement posted 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****r they can sell on the auction block,” Tyson wrote in one Instagram post.
In another Instagram post, Tyson praised UFC president Dana White for allegedly turning down millions of dollars from Hulu.
“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,” Tyson wrote. “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 bashed Hulu on Twitter as well.
Hulu stole my story. They’re Goliath and I’m David. Heads will roll for this.
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) August 6, 2022
Hulu ordered the limited series “Mike” in February of 2021. Tyson said at the time that he did not sign off on the project. Hulu has not hidden from that and describes the eight-episode series as “an unauthorized and no-holds-barred look at the life of Mike Tyson.”
Steven Rogers, one of the executive producers of “Mike,” told Entertainment Tonight this week that speaking with Tyson for the series was not an option “because his life rights were already taken.” Tyson responded to that claim through his rep and called it a “flat out lie.” He says the rights option to his story expired years ago and that Hulu made no effort to negotiate with him.
There has been talk for years that actor Jamie Foxx will play Tyson in a movie about the boxing legend. More recent reports have said a biopic is still in development, but nothing official has been announced.
