Mike Tyson revisits his turbulent childhood, boxing triumphs, and legal controversies in a four-part Netflix documentary series titled TYSON, directed by Floyd Russ and released globally on October 13, 2026, offering an unvarnished and frequently uncomfortable look at the 60-year-old former heavyweight champion’s life.
Childhood in Brownsville and Witnessing Family Trauma
The documentary begins in the 1970s and 1980s in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where poverty and crime shaped the block. In the series, Tyson opens up about his late mother, Lorna Mae Smith Tyson, and her work as a sex worker. My mother was a sex worker, a prostitute, whatever you call it, Tyson says in the series, according to The Mirror. I seen that. I saw it first-hand. I was in the bed with her.
According to a biography by Mark Kriegel, Lorna once aspired to become a teacher, pursued higher education, and worked as a prison matron at the Women’s House of Detention in Manhattan as well as a nurse’s aide. She raised Mike alongside his older siblings, Rodney and Denise, through severe financial hardship following the loss of stable housing in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Lacking proper guidance or a formal adoption, youth counselor Bobby Stewart recognized his potential at the Tryon School for Boys—where Tyson recalls the residents were considered dangerous “Apex predators”—and introduced him to Cus D’Amato.
Photo: Netflix
Lorna died of cancer in 1982 when Tyson was 16, the same year he won his second straight Junior Olympics heavyweight title, leaving him unable to watch her witness his fights. He also describes the man he knew as a father figure, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, as a pimp who was a trick. He was more of a trick than a pimp… My mother used him. Arrested repeatedly as a youth—38 times by age 13—Tyson spent time in juvenile facilities before D’Amato welcomed the teenager into his home in upstate New York.
Guidance Under Cus D’Amato and Historic Championship Reign
D’Amato died in November 1985 before Tyson won the title.
Photo: Midgard Times
Throughout his reign of dominance, Tyson was known as the baddest man on the planet. His career also intersected with figures such as Donald Trump, who promoted several fights at his Atlantic City casino and defended Tyson in the press after his split with manager Don King.
Controversies, Legal Battles, and Omissions in the Netflix Series
Reviewers point out that Robin Givens and Desiree Washington do not participate in the documentary. When discussing Washington in a 2003 interview included or referenced around the project, Tyson characterized her harshly, while ardent supporter Tupac Shakur previously visited him in prison.
Director Floyd Russ includes interviews from various figures in Tyson’s orbit, including former manager Rory Holloway—who still sounds stung by Tyson firing his entire team years ago—alongside childhood friends, gym partners, and fellow fighters such as Lennox Lewis and James “Buster” Douglas. Douglas reflects on beating Tyson only weeks after his own mother died, marking an emotional high point. Donald Trump also appears to comment on the heavyweight champion, stating, The media was rough on Mike, but it just made Mike hotter, and adding, They’re rough on me, and I’m president! Bill Clinton had previously called Tyson’s actions horrifying, a remark Tyson took offense to in the docu-series when recalling presidential scandals.
Reflections on Addiction, Recovery, and the Toad Psychedelic Experience
By Episode 4, titled Human, the series follows Tyson’s life after boxing, retirement, reinvention, and recovery from addiction. In a candid moment in the documentary, Russ and Tyson discuss a psychedelic experience involving the toad—a drug that occurs naturally in certain amphibian species—which Tyson took with the director near the end of the final episode following a monthslong process of visiting his roots.
Photo: Yahoo
Ever since I smoked the toad, I haven’t done cocaine, I haven’t drank.
Mike Tyson | The Darkness Controls Me |
Mike Tyson, via Netflix
The four-part project, with Jim Gray and Bill Simmons serving as executive producers, also touches on his recovery and his 2024 fight with Jake Paul. Tyson’s children speak candidly about the good and difficult sides of growing up with him, and Tyson notes that everything negative ultimately turned into a positive. Tyson himself concludes the series by addressing his lifelong relationship with fame and public exposure: This camera, to me, is a narcotic, he says, I’m so overwhelmed and overpowered by this narcotic, I’ll make a fool out of myself. It’s just that addicting.
Senior Editor, Entertainment
Marina is a celebrated pop culture columnist and recipient of multiple media awards. She curates engaging stories about film, music, television, and celebrity news, always with a fresh and authoritative voice.
