Mike Tyson Says Hulu ‘Stole’ His Life Story for Limited Series ‘Mike’

Mike Tyson and Trevante Rhodes in Mike (Credit: Shutterstock/Hulu)

Mike Tyson is still furious Hulu made a limited series about his life without his permission.

The boxing legend trashed the streamer over the weekend, with two posts on Instagram that said the company “stole” his life story for its unauthorized eight-part series Mike, which premieres later this month.

In the first post, Tyson said Hulu offered to pay UFC President Dana White to promote the project, but he refused because of his “friendship” with the former heavyweight boxing champ.

“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 wrote.

Related Story: ‘Mike’ Trailer – Trevante Rhodes Triumphs as Mike Tyson in the Hulu Series (Video)

He followed it up with a second post saying Hulu thinks it can sell his life rights like a slave up for auction.

“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—-r they can sell on the auction block,” he added.

This isn’t the first time Tyson has expressed anger over the project. As previously reported, he accused Hulu of “cultural misappropriation,” and urged his fans to boycott the company in a since-deleted February 2021 Instagram post when the series was announced.

“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 wrote about the series. “To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for Black story rights.”

The project explores the “tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life,” according to Hulu.

The cast includes Moonlight actor Trevante Rhodes in the title role, with Russell Hornsby as promoter Don King. Harvey Keitel, Laura Harrier, Li Eubanks, Olunike Adeliyi, and B.J. Minor also star.

There’s also a film in the works about Tyson starring Jamie Foxx, which the boxer is backing.

Last week Mike executive producer Steven Rogers defended the series during a virtual panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, saying Tyson had already sold his life story.

“We actually couldn’t talk to him 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 said 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.”

Additional executive producers on the series are Karin Gist, Craig Gillespie, Scott Morgan, Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Darin Friedman, Anthony Hemingway, Anthony Sparks, Samantha Corbin-Miller and Trevante Rhodes.

Mike premieres Aug. 25 with two episodes on Hulu, followed by new episodes streaming weekly.


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