Should we talk about all the women?
Oh, I come off bad in this part of the story,
but it's the truth.
I'm just gonna go with it.
I was a pig.
But Cus was gone; I didn't know how to deal with all that shit.
Come on, Mike.
You mean there aren't a million girls
after the heavyweight champ of the world?
Nah, man, they don't want me.
They just want the cash.
Got millions of dollars to spend.
It's easy to love someone like that.
You know, I know what I look like.
I see myself in the mirror every day.
Nah, but, you know, I just...
wish I could find a girl who knew me when I was broke
and just thought I was a nice guy.
I probably cheated on every woman I ever been with.
Probably never respect them
'cause I never really respect myself.
I want to, but...
I don't think I ever loved any woman I've ever been with.
It's crazy, right?
Never love 'em.
But I want to.
All better.
You got some moves.
Thank you.
Robin, you graduated high school at 15,
Sarah Lawrence College at 19.
Then you turned down Harvard Medical School
to star on a hit series.
Does that make you head of the class?
Well, Don,
some say I am.
If you want more Robin Givens...
I'm gonna marry that woman.
Fuck you.
- Yeah! - Whoo!
Robin Givens.
Listen, listen, we were babies.
21 and 22.
I thought she was so beautiful.
I mean, look at her. She's a beautiful girl, right?
- Unobtainable.
So I went after her.
I tracked her down.
Took a little work, but I set up a date for us.
You know, in my head, it was like
I was in my own version of a fucking rom-com.
Robin was impressive.
There were very few young Black women on TV back then.
She was a role model, the "it girl."
She was a fairy-tale princess in my head.
I wanted to be the kind of person
Robin would wanna fall in love with.
Hi. You must be Michael.
Yeah.
I'm Robin.
I didn't think you'd ever go out with me.
I left so many messages.
Oh, that my mother erased before I ever heard them.
But, um, luckily, she missed the last one.
Why didn't she want us to go out?
Because you hit people for a living, Mr. Tyson.
Michael, this is my mother, Ruth.
And this is my publicist, Stephanie.
Right this way.
Um, I don't have a clear understanding
of what's going on right now.
My mother is very protective of me,
and she had some concerns about us going out,
so this is the compromise.
Right.
This might surprise you, but there's no way in hell
I'd let one of my daughters go on a date
with a guy like me either.
I mean, come on, it's me.
Um, you know, this has been cool and all,
but it's not really the kind of date I imagined.
No offense, Mrs. Givens.
But I think I'm gonna--
Oh, wait, wait, please sit down.
Um...
I'm sorry. I--I'm nervous.
You're Mike Tyson.
This is ridiculous, I know, and I--I'm so sorry.
It's all my fault.
Please... don't go?
Well, I guess we could make this work.
Oh, we made it fucking work.
That's rich to me, you had your own room.
It was super small, okay?
My family had to share everything:
rooms, beds, my mom with guys off the street.
Even your fries?
Hey, save some of those for me.
Oh, my God.
I haven't had fries in forever.
I have this whole weird thing with perfection.
You know, 'cause if I'm perfect, they can't hurt me.
- Mm.
I learned it from my mom.
My dad cheated on her so bad,
so she was just trying to make sure
I could stand on my own two feet.
I didn't really know my mom.
I didn't have any conversations with her
like that, like I did with Cus.
There's a lot I wish I could ask her now.
Mm, yeah, I mean,
I still don't know my dad.
I always felt like, you know, if I wasn't
smart enough or pretty enough or...
good enough for my dad to love me,
why would anyone love me?
Who would think, to look at us, that we got the same problems?
No, you are so beautiful.
I'm not pitiful.
I said "beautiful," not "pitiful."
I know.
I just wanted to hear you say it again.
You know, I was thinking, um,
maybe you could be my girlfriend.
Whoa, um, no.
I'm--I'm sorry, Mike. I just--
Look, the last two weeks have been really fun,
but I just got a lot going on.
I mean, there's not a lot of opportunities
for Black actresses in Hollywood.
I'm already 22. I don't have a lot of time.
But I--I got enough money for the both of us.
It doesn't matter.
It matters to me.
You've already made it. You're at the top of your game.
- All eyes on you. - Yeah.
I don't wanna live in someone else's shadow.
I got my own dreams.
I'm sorry, Mike.
Let's rewind, and I'll tell you what I heard.
Nigga, you too stupid and too Brownsville
to be my everything.
Thanks for playing.
But that just made me want her more.
We were still hanging out and stuff,
but that didn't make her mine.
I wanted her to be mine.
You know, I thought if I give her enough stuff,
I can make her love me.
Nah, I didn't know anything about love.
I only knew what I saw in the movies.
You know, that's what I was playing at.
I was in love...
but in my own kind of fucked-up way, right?
- Hi. - I'm looking for some roses.
I like this one.
Excellent choice.
They're Southern Sea pearls.
Maybe I was with all those women because I never
really thought I could get Robin.
Or maybe I was just 21 and horny.
Through all the courtship with Robin,
I was still fighting.
I remember I had this one fight with Bonecrusher.
He was a particularly hardheaded motherfucker.
The funny thing is,
I think Bonecrusher helped me get Robin.
Hey.
I watched the fight. Are you okay?
I'm okay.
It was close, though.
I always feel like if I don't win, people will hate me.
Like, I really have to get beat up for somebody to like me.
I like you, Michael.
If Cus was here, I'd have somebody to talk to.
Jimmy's all I got now.
Well, I'm here.
I wish you were here.
Michael...(sighs)
It hurts my heart to see you get hit.
Like, it takes too much out of me.
It literally makes me ill.
But... I just wanna protect you.
Hey, Michael?
Do you still want me to be your girl?
Really?
You really wanna be my girl?
Yeah, I do.
Yeah?
Yeah, I--I miss you.
I'm gonna hang up the phone before you change your mind.
I got a girlfriend.
Not tonight, you don't.
This is...
I mean, you know you didn't have to do this, right?
Yeah, well, it's not that kind of ring.
Not marriage or anything.
But, you know, whenever you're ready, let me know.
I'll get you something way better than that, way bigger.
Look at us.
- We look aspirational. - Yeah.
I mean, I didn't have role models
of people who looked like us growing up.
And now we're them.
It's--it's so exciting.
- Yeah. - You're so exciting.
- We're so exciting. - Yeah.
Think of all the people we can inspire.
Yeah.
Speaking of inspiration...
What you got for me?
Mm.
Okay.
- Okay.
You're mine now, champ.
Right.
It was the first time I was in love.
We were only 21 and 22.
It was happening so fast.
Too fast.
Gonna have a baby?
Jimmy told me you're knocked up.
You told my business manager, but you didn't tell me?
I only told my mom.
Maybe she told him?
I didn't wanna pressure you.
Okay?
Yeah.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
To be clear, Robin says she got pregnant
after we got married,
but y'all aren't paying to see her show.
I did the only thing that felt right
every time I thought something was wrong.
I fucked it up even more.
Till death do you part?
I do.
You told me we were going to the All-Star Game.
Well, I thought this was more romantic.
More romantic than basketball?
You love me?
I do.
You may kiss the bride.
- Relax, everybody.
He'll be out in a minute.
Sheesh.
Suntory Dry Man reps have their eyes on you,
so we gotta keep this trip squeaky-clean, right?
It's a different market here.
No bad-boy stuff.
I need an advance on my purse.
I wanna get Robin something nice from Japan.
You're spending a lot on Robin.
You need to slow down.
She's my wife. I wanna surprise her.
All right, give her the gift of love.
All right, all right, fine.
I'll see what I can do.
Why isn't Jimmy handling the money?
And we pray that the soul of Jimmy Jacobs
find its eternal resting place.
So here's some real shit.
Jimmy, the manager I liked, that Cus had picked,
had been sick for years, and they hid it from me.
Cayton got me to sign some contract
saying if Jimmy died,
Cayton would automatically be my manager.
They even put some shit in about giving their widows
50% of me if they died,
like I was some chattel they could pass around...
Like they own me.
Robin didn't like that, and she sued the fuck out of 'em.
Well, thank you for meeting with us.
Since my daughter is now Michael's power of attorney,
we'd like to see his accounts.
I just want everything to be perfect for my family.
It's not just us we need to look out for now.
But with Robin doing my finances
and with Jimmy suddenly gone,
someone else snuck in the back door.
In this great tragedy,
the loss of a friend and colleague,
lays an opportunity.
Jimmy isn't gone.
He's transferred into pure spirit.
In the--in the same way, your trusting relationship with him
doesn't have to be lost, just transferred.
Mike, you have an opportunity
to take control of your destiny.
As one fully liberated Black man to another,
take solace that death is but a transition,
and I am your rebirth.
Oh, he's a charming motherfucker.
Uh-huh.
Now, the pictures from Paris
were supposed to arrive on Friday.
I don't understand what the holdup is.
You need to get on the phone with Christophe.
You know how these French people are.
You have to stay on top of them. Oh, babe.
So... I'm thinking Vulcano silk
for this room and then maybe a...
Everyone has this vision that Robin ran around
with all the decorators doing the house.
That's bullshit.
It was all me.
I'll have what she's not having.
A toast to our perfect new home
and to Michael, who is going to be the best father,
and Mom for always taking such good care of us.
You're my children.
It's my job to protect you,
especially when you don't even know you need it.
What's that supposed to mean?
Mom, not now.
You're both so young.
I'm just concerned that the people who are
supposed to be looking out for you aren't.
Well...
What mom is trying to say is...
Bill Cayton's been stealing from us.
From you.
Donald Trump has offered his consulting services.
Now, that's a businessman you can trust.
You guys couldn't find a smaller chicken?
It's a quail.
What's a quail?
Quail? Goddamn!
You race pigeons. You don't eat 'em!
Those women are trying to turn you
into some kind of sissy.
Next thing you know, you gonna be
drinking Champale, pinkie in the air!
Ooh, that Trump's a tender-handed white boy.
Hmm.
Never had a callus in his life.
Got his money from his daddy.
They're softening you up.
Girl's got your balls. Mama's lookin' to cut 'em off.
Man, that's my wife.
Someone who didn't care would shut the fuck up,
not say a goddamn word.
But I can't stand by and watch the champ become a chump.
Mm-mm, hmm.
Stick with the King, boy, you'll be all right.
That's one thing Don was right about.
Ruth and Robin had me by the balls.
So me and my balls started spending less time at home.
It's 4:00 a.m.
I thought you were asleep.
Mm, I bet you did.
Mm-hmm.
Where were you?
I mean, I was, um-- I mean...
I was with Don.
- Yeah. - Oh, really?
Is that Don's color?
Okay, I don't have to tell you
where I've been, who I've been with, okay?
Jesus, Mike,
this is the same shit my dad did, the same shit!
I warned you.
- Warned me? - Yeah.
Listen, you and your mother can't turn the champ
into a chump, all right?
What are you talking about?
You don't care about me.
All you care about is spending my money.
I'm trying to protect you
from people who are stealing your money.
So you can spend it.
I'm spending it on you.
You don't understand that we need everything to be perfect
because everyone is watching.
And what do you do?
You go out and you're cheating worse than my dad.
You know, I wish you weren't pregnant
so I wouldn't have had to get married to you.
Well, you got your wish, Michael.
That's when she told me she lost the baby.
Robin said she lost the baby in the hospital
and I was with her.
I don't know.
She wrote her book, and I wrote mine.
What I do know is, I wanted that fantasy life
for Robin so bad, I would've given her anything.
Well, almost anything.
Michael!
- It's so good to see you!
Oh!
Oh, you look good, my handsome boy.
Thank you.
I want you to meet my beautiful,
stunning Robin... and Ruth.
And you are so much more lovely in person.
- Oh, my.
I made extra gravy just for you.
Thanks, Camille.
Uh, you have such a beautiful home, Camille.
That room with all of Michael's awards and, uh, medals,
it's like a shrine.
- I guess Russ really did love-- - Cus.
His name is Cus.
Right.
I guess Cus really loved Michael.
Well, everyone loves Michael,
especially Cus.
He was so proud of how great Michael was in the ring.
Even in bed, he talks about him.
"My greatest creation," he'd say.
Just so interesting.
I guess, given that Michael is Cus' greatest creation,
it's okay for him to be paying for your house?
- I-- - Robin.
No, I'm--I'm so sorry.
I'm just wondering why it is that...
my husband is out there
destroying his body in the ring
and, meanwhile, using our money
to pay for everything in here.
- Robin. -
And it seems to just be never-end--
What's the matter with you?
You need to see what's going on in there.
- That lady in there's my-- - Your what?
She's not your family.
- Cus used you. - No.
- She's using you. - No.
They damaged you, and you're--you're, what,
you're paying them for it?
You're so desperate for someone to love you
that you'll rewrite the story just so you feel love.
But--but what about my story?
I love you, and you hate me for it.
You didn't have anyone, so you let Cus turn you
into his brute, and now you're out here
paying for this old white lady's house,
mowing her lawn like the hired help.
And for what?
Because she gives you extra gravy and smiles at you?
Don't be so naive.
You watch your mouth, bitch.
Oh, that's funny.
Just a minute ago, you were calling me baby.
I mean it, Robin. I--
I don't know how to fight to lose, only to win.
I don't know how to love to win either.
The lithium should help stabilize
your moods and behavior.
Pills don't usually make me more stable.
Manic depression is a lifelong battle, Mike.
You're lucky to have such a great support system.
Robin said she was worried about me,
that I was scaring her,
that she only wanted the best for me.
What she didn't realize was...
When I drink or do coke, I'm gonna fight you.
When I smoke weed, I'm gonna give you all my money.
That's not manic depression. That's me on drugs.
It's time for your medicine, baby.
What is he on?
- He says it's lithium. - Lithium.
He a boxer, not a housewife. He can't fight.
He's moving all right.
He look like a heavyweight to you?
I'm gonna make you something else, okay, baby?
You cannot keep pretending
you can fix his shit.
Trust me.
He is my husband.
Yeah, and I hear y'all yelling,
and I know what he does.
You know I've been through this shit.
Stop it.
I'm going to fix this.
At least, that's what I thought they said.
I was too fucked up to know.
Oh, speaking of fucked up...
They called it erratic behavior.
But it was an accident.
Robin said she thought it was a suicide attempt.
The next thing you know,
papers are saying the same thing.
Right after that was the Russia incident,
which, you know, was totally overblown.
This is what Robin and Ruth said happened,
but hey, I was on lithium, coke,
and weed at the time, so who the fuck knows?
But I had to do damage control,
so I talked to Barbara Walters
looking high as a motherfucking kite.
And we all know how that turned out.
Some of the things we've read...
that he's hit you,
that he's chased you and your mother around in--in Russia,
that Mike has a very volatile temper...
True?
Extremely volatile.
It's scary.
What happens?
Does he hit you?
He shakes.
He pushes.
He swings.
For a long time, I thought I could handle it.
I've only recently become afraid.
Michael is a manic-depressive.
He is. That's a fact.
He's had it for a long time.
It went untreated, and it got worse.
Why do you think no one saw it before?
Cus D'Amato didn't see it. Bill Cayton didn't see it.
I can't imagine that anyone could live with Mike Tyson,
the one that I know,
and not see that there's a problem.
Hitting teachers,
hitting girls and pulling them into the bathroom.
So why wasn't it treated?
Because he did well in the ring.
Exceptionally well.
I wish someone told me
that even fairy tales need a prenup.
Robin never actually asked for alimony,
but she did file a $125 million libel suit.
And "poof" goes my rom-com.
"Poof" goes my marriage.
Probably we were doomed from the start.
When you hate yourself, you can't love someone else.
It's a very empty feeling when the only thing
you can rely on is fighting,
but that's who I was.
That's who they still wanted.
That's who you all still wanted.
My, uh-- my day started off weird.
I bought a lottery ticket today,
and it said, "Congratulations,
you may already be Robin Givens' next husband."
...an ambitious gold digger
who's demanding half of what Tyson made
during their short, eight-month marriage,
including the $21 million Tyson earned
at his remarkable 91-second knockout fight
with Michael Spinks.
...getting ugly between
the world heavyweight champion and the sitcom actress,
as sources are claiming
Robin Givens and her mother, Ruth,
were "always on the prowl
for a big Black celebrity for Robin."
NewsNight polls ranked the soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Tyson
the unequivocal holder
of the Most Hated Woman in the World title.
My marriage was over.
Maybe I was unlovable, like my mom said.
Maybe I could never have that one-on-one with anybody.
Mike Tyson got support today
from fast-talking...
I was just so tired of feeling bad.
But then I realized...
They still love me.
Now I'm really gonna have some fun.
-♪ In case you gotta run ♪ - ♪ Whoop, whoop ♪
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