Mike Tyson Talks One Man Show, Prison & Getting Heckled Onstage

Mike Tyson spent three years in prison for a rape conviction – an experience he tackles head on in his one man show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth.”

“I just tell what happened when I was in there. I was real aggressive going in, of course. I was insecure,” the former heavyweight champ told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Wednesday’s Access Hollywood Live, of how he handles discussing his time behind bars during his show. “I came back out pretty angry – which I thought was pretty rational at the time… Nothing good is gonna come out of that place. Prison doesn’t rehabilitate people.”

The boxer has appeared in multiple movies since his days in the ring (including 2009‘s “The Hangover”) with gigs on TV as well (he recently guest starred on an episode of “Law & Order: SVU”), but making the leap to a live stage show was nerve-wracking.

And Mike admits he’s often heckled while onstage.

“Yeah, [I get heckled], but if you don’t get heckled what’s the point of performing?” he said. “What’s the point if you just have an easy sail like, ‘Hey guys, I’m Mike! See you later.’”

The former boxer’s show, which he was inspired to create after viewing Chazz Palminteri’s one man show, “A Bronx Tale,” was originally a lot flashier until Spike Lee (who became the show’s director) got ahold of it.

“When I first started my show it was really like, lights, camera, action – I had a vocalist, a rock band,” he said. “Spike made it more gritty, more up close and personal. Someone that worked for Spike saw that show and he told Spike about the show… he called me and said, ‘I wanna bring this to Broadway.’”

— Erin O’Sullivan

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