Mike Tyson Blasts Hulu Limited Series About His Life In Truly Brutal Terms
It's probably never a good idea to provoke one of the greatest boxers in the modern era. Especially ones known for biting off a chunk from an ear during the midst of heated combat. According to Brittanica, Mike Tyson's early childhood was spent in different gangs, but his latent boxing talents soon came to the fore after he was sent to a reform school. Becoming a professional boxer in 1985, he ended up winning the heavyweight title just a year later and became the youngest person to ever do so at the tender age of 20. His career only became more prolific afterward, and he is easily one of the most recognizable figures from the world of athletics.
Besides throwing down in the ring, Tyson certainly has a sense of humor and an iconic look, which he has lent in several forms of media. Most fans remember his cameo appearance in "The Hangover" franchise, but he even managed to star in an animated television series with a heavy "Scooby-Doo" vibe that saw the famous boxer solve mysteries. However, it seems as if the legendary boxer is not involved with the upcoming Hulu series based on his life, and Tyson certainly has a rather strong opinion that he expressed on social media.
Tyson feels like Hulu is treating him like a human commodity
Hulu's upcoming limited series "Mike" is based on the life of Mike Tyson, but it seems as if he hasn't had any input whatsoever with the series, nor given his permission. Taking to Instagram, Tyson created two different posts addressing Hulu's upcoming series. The first post was an image of both himself and Dana White which stated, "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." His second post was simply white text on a black background, and it said, "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 ****** they can sell on the auction block."
Considering these statements, it seems as if Hulu's "Mike" series did not get Tyson's blessings, but unfortunately for Tyson, there is little he could do to stop such an endeavor. This is due to the laws surrounding public figures, and as The Hollywood Reporter notes, this is considered non-commercial speech and is protected under First Amendment rights, assuming that they draw from multiple sources, such as news articles. This means that Hulu is protected under artistic expression, and Tyson has very little ability to stop or affect the series. However, that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to express his own opinion, and he is most certainly angry at this television adaptation of his own life.