The biopic series Mike on Hulu has drawn further criticism from Mike Tyson, who claims that “they took [his] life narrative and didn’t compensate [him]”.
Trevante Rhodes will play Tyson in the program, which will follow the boxer’s “tumultuous ups and downs of his boxing career and personal life – from being a revered global athlete to a pariah and back again.”
Tyson, though, voiced his opposition to the proposal in a recent Instagram post.
“Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life,” he wrote. “It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me.”
A post shared by Mike Tyson (@miketyson)
Tyson added in the caption: “Hulu is the streaming version of the slave master. They stole my story and didn’t pay me.”
After Dana White allegedly declined to promote Mike the day before, the boxer stated his support for him.
Tyson wrote on Instagram, “Hulu tried hard to pay my brother @danawhite millions without giving me a money to promote their slave master take over story about my life.” He declined because he values friendship and treating others with respect. Just as I won’t forget what Hulu robbed from me, I won’t forget what he did for me.
Tyson has previously voiced his disapproval of the program in a now-deleted Instagram post from last year, according to Complex: “Hulu’s announcement to produce an unauthorized miniseries of the Tyson narrative without payment, although terrible, isn’t shocking.
“This news, which comes just after our nation’s socioeconomic inequalities, is a shining illustration of how Hulu’s corporate greed caused this culturally insensitive theft of the Tyson life narrative. The timing of this statement during Black History Month simply serves to underline Hulu’s preference for profits over the rights of black storytellers.
During a panel discussion on Hulu’s Television Critics Tour last week, showrunner Karen Gist justified the biopic’s unapproved status, saying (according to Deadline): “We just wanted to deliver an unbiased story and let the audience determine what they believe or feel.
“Challenging what people believe to be true about Mike and wanting them to leave the series with new ideas to ponder. Does the tale make you wonder how complicit society has been, whether you like him or not? That was the goal and the guide for the writers’ room as we created the stories.
Mike will also feature Russell Hornsby, Harvey Keitel, Laura Harrier, Li Eubanks, Olunike Adeliyi, and B.J. Minor in addition to Rhodes.