Mike Tyson is calling out Hulu after the streaming service announced an unauthorized miniseries, "Iron Mike," which takes a look at the heavyweight champion's life and career. In a fuming Instagram post, Tyson accused the company of "cultural misappropriation" and "corporate greed."
"Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising," he wrote in the post. "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."
Hulu revealed on Wednesday the eight-part series, which it said would "explore the wild, tragic and controversial life and career behind one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture."
Oscar-winning writer Steven Rogers has collaborated with "Suicide Squad" star Margot Robbie, who will be executive producer of "Iron Mike." Joining them as showrunner and executive producer is Karin Gist as well as Craig Gillespie, who will also be executive producer of the miniseries.
Tyson accused Hulu and other services of actions that "represent the systemic racism that has plagued Hollywood for its entire existence," adding that "these corporate giants hide behind ploys and praise themselves for offering tone-deaf attempts at diversity and inclusion..."
Tyson pointed at Hulu's Black Stories playlist as an example. The playlist recommends stories about black culture to viewers but Tyson said that, "behind closed doors they steal stories from the black community."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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