Mike Tyson is calling on his fans to boycott what he calls an “unauthorized mini-series” of his life coming to Hulu.
The boxing champ shared his frustration on Instagram with a lengthy post accusing the streaming service of not compensating him and calling the series “tone-deaf,” especially during Black History Month.
“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising. 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,” Tyson captioned his post.
“To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for black story rights,” he continued in a since-deleted post.
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The actor and athlete also revealed a “real Mike Tyson authorized story” is currently in development, with more details to be announced by his team in the coming days.
He included a two-photo gallery with the first picture showing a large red “no” symbol on top of the Hulu logo and the hashtag #BoycottHulu underneath. The second photo made an additional statement in mint green letters.
“These actions taken by Hulu are just the tip of the iceberg. We shouldn’t be surprised by these abhorrent actions as they represent the systematic racism that has plagued Hollywood for its entire existence,” the statement read.
Variety reports the Hulu limited series is titled Iron Mike. Actress Margot Robbie will executive produce. Craig Gillespie will be directing and executive producing as well.
“The series is said to explore the wild, tragic and controversial life and career of Tyson, a former boxing heavyweight champion and one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture,” Variety wrote.
Iron Mike will be eight episodes long and has not yet announced a premiere date.
