Mike Tyson isn’t feeling love for Hulu as they continue to push forward with a series based on his life. The champion boxer took to Instagram on Saturday with critical accusations against the streaming giant. He accused executives of stealing his life story without his permission, input, or payment. Though the ‘Mike’ series won’t premiere until late August, Tyson dubbed Hulu a “slave master.”
“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,” Mike said in a post. “To Hulu executives, I’m just a n****r they can sell on the auction block.”
He didn’t end his critique there. In the caption of the post, he said “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me.”
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Mike Has Called Out Hulu Several Times For The Series
However, this isn’t the first time (or second) time the legendary boxer has spoken against the series and streaming platform. According to Deadline, Mike spoke up after Hulu announced the project in February 2021.
“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 county is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural appropriation of the Tyson life story,” Mike wrote in a now-deleted post. “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.
Before his post calling Hulu a slave master, Mike alleged Hulu tried to pay UFC President Dana White to be involved in the Mike series. Speaking from the same social media platform, Tyson thanked his friend for allegedly declining Hulu’s offer.
“Hulu tried to desperately pay my brother Dana White millions without offering me a dollar to promote their slave master take over story about my life,” Mike 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.”
Showrunner Addresses Unauthorized Nature Of Mike Series
Before Mike called the streaming platform a slave master, the series showrunner actually addressed the unauthorized nature of the project. According to Deadline, Karen Gist spoke on the topic at a panel for Hulu’s Television Critics Tour on Thursday.
“We just wanted to tell an unbiased story and have the audience decide what they think or feel,” Karen said. “Challenging what people think they know about Mike and hoping that they come away from the series without something else to think about. Whether you like him or hate him, does the story make you question how complicit society has been? That was the intention, that was the North Star for the writers’ room as we were crafting stories.”
But, as of Monday morning, Hulu has not responded to Mike’s accusations of being a slave master selling him on the auction block.
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