Yahoo Autos Mike Tyson calls for Hulu boycott after streamer announces unauthorized 'Iron Mike' series
A miniseries based on the life and career of Mike Tyson is on the way from Hulu, but it's already receiving counterpunches from the former heavyweight champion..
Hulu announced Thursday it had picked up the eight-episode "Iron Mike," which will come from the team behind "I, Tonya." That includes director Craig Gillespie, writer Steven Rogers and producer Margot Robbie, plus showrunner Karen Gist.
One person not involved, however, was Tyson himself, and he soon made clear his displeasure with the unauthorized biographical series on Instagram.
The boxer called for a boycott of Hulu, painting its efforts as "tone-deaf cultural misappropriation" and saying it is offensive to make such a move during Black History Month. Tyson also teased that an authorized project based on his story is in development and will be announced in the coming days.
Tyson's full statement:
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 country is a prime example of how Hulu's corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story. 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. The real Mike Tyson authorized story is in development and will be announced in coming days. Hulu to announce stealing a black athletes story during Black History month couldn't be more inappropriate or tone deaf. #boycotthulu #corporategreed
Plus a second statement from the same post:
These actions taken bu Hulu are just the tip of the iceberg. We shouldn't be surprised by these abhorrent actions as they represent the systemic racism that has plagued Hollywood for its entire existence. These corporate giants hide behind plays and praise themselves for offering tone-deaf attempts at diversity and inclusion like Hulu's "Black Stories" playlist that recommends stories about Black culture to viewers on the app. Yet behind closed doors they steal stories from the Black community. #BoycottHulu
