Hulu is getting on Mike Tyson’s bad side. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the boxer has continued to call the streamer out on social media because of the upcoming series Mike, which stars Trevante Rhodes. “I don’t support their story about my life,†Tyson wrote on Instagram on August 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.†In the caption, he described Hulu as the “streaming version of the slave master.†Tyson previously alleged on Twitter that Hulu offered UFC president Dana White millions of dollars to promote the show. “He turned it down because he honors friendship and treating people with dignity,†Tyson wrote. “I’ll never forget what he did for me just like I’ll never forget what Hulu stole from me.†He later added that producers had lied to his friends, including World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman, about his involvement.
Tyson has been critical of Mike since the project was first announced in February 2021. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his criticism spurred major studios to express interest in working with him on an authorized adaptation of his life. Reportedly, a long-gestating plan for a feature film starring Jamie Foxx is now being shopped as a TV show. It remains to be seen how his involvement in the project will impact the way he is portrayed on screen. Tyson’s legendary boxing career has not been short of scandals in his personal life; in 1992, he was convicted in 1992 of raping an 18-year-old. His first wife, Robin Givens, also accused him of physical abuse during their relationship, which he denied.
Mike showrunner Karin Gist said during a press tour that she and executive producer Steven Rogers did not intend to portray Tyson as either a hero or villain with the Hulu show. “We just wanted to tell an unbiased story and have the audience decide what they think or feel,†she said. “Challenging what people think they know about Mike and hoping that they come away from the series with something else to think about.â€