Mike Tyson at the premiere of "Entourage" held on June 1, 2015 in Westwood, California. Photo by: zz/RE/Westcom/STAR MAX/IPx 2015 6/1/15. “Mike” promo image courtesy of Hulu.
Mike Tyson is not here for the upcoming Hulu docuseries about his life.
The boxing legend likened the streaming platform to a “slave master” whom he accused of theft because he said they didn’t compensate him for the rights to his life story as told in “Mike.”
“Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life,” Tyson wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday, Aug. 6. “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.”
The caption to Tyson’s statement also said, “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me.”
The post was the second of two posts the former heavyweight champion posted expressing his disdain for how Hulu went about making the docuseries that stars Trevante Rhodes as Tyson.
In the first post, Tyson thanked Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White for not promoting the project.
“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.”
It isn’t the first time Tyson has expressed frustration with the 8-episode Hulu project.
“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson said in a now-deleted Instagram post when he first learned of the docuseries. “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.”
“To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for black story rights. Hollywood needs to be more sensitive to black experiences especially after all that has transpired in 2020,” Tyson’s post continued. “The real Mike Tyson authorized story is in development and will be announced in coming days. Hulu to announce stealing a black athletes story during Black History month couldn’t be more inappropriate or tone deaf. #boycotthulu #corporategreed”
Many – including actor Jamie Foxx, who has long been interested in playing Mike Tyson – commented.
“Love you bro,” Foxx commented on Tyson’s second post. Instagram user @soule_esensuals wrote, “wooooww now it all make sense. Cause I know I saw you playing Mike then all the sudden….wow. That’s a cold get down damn.”
“I won’t watch it then,” @no_blackjack86 commented. Many also called to boycott and cancel Hulu.
Though Rhodes didn’t give a direct response to Tyson’s comments, he seems to have replied indirectly with an Instagram post on Sunday, Aug. 7.
The actor, who is acclaimed for his breakout role in “Moonlight,” posted a poem with the caption, “bc blowin me up.”
He turned off the comments on the post. The poem said:
“Just as there is an inside there is an outside.
I understand
I am a fan
As well.
Obviously.
As Champ honored the great
Alexander the Great
In his way, I honor him in mine
w my intelligence, my heart & my time
Perspective is everything
Perspective is everything
What’s bigger than a name? the education of a vein.
Never in vain.
Never in vain.
Never in vain.
Never in vain.”
According to Variety, Tyson is an executive producer for an authorized bio that will star Foxx, which they are currently pitching to networks. However, the project has yet to be picked up.
Hulu had not addressed Tyson’s comments at the time of this writing.
PHOTOS: Mike Tyson at the premiere of “Entourage” held on June 1, 2015 in Westwood, California. Photo by: zz/RE/Westcom/STAR MAX/IPx 2015 6/1/15. “Mike” promo image courtesy of Hulu.
