Actress, anti-domestic violence campaigner and Mike Tyson's ex-wife Robin Givens will be on
Oprah tomorrow (Thursday, 18 March): to give Oprah a talking to for how she handled Mike Tyson during her interview with him.
Robin's interview is a follow-up to a two-part Mike Tyson interview that was on in the US in October that we haven't seen here yet. The first was Tyson talking about his life and the documentary Tyson; and the second was him speaking to Evander Holyfield 12 years after the notorious ear-incident.
The reason we haven't seen them: the rights for the shows haven't been released by the US yet - CRAZY but true. Apparently the rights are only available for them to be broadcast in the US and there's no news as to when or
if they'll be available here.
This means that we'll have to work out what happened ourselves, which I've started doing. It seems that the first interview presented a very "sensitive" side to him, presenting him as a victim of circumstance who's changed since his fighting and prison days.
I've always thought that he's had a rough time of things - I reckon all boxers do -
but it doesn't make it okay for him to have done some of the things he has, most specifically the abuse he punched at Robin.
I see many places still refer to their marraige as involving "alledged spousal abuse", bah! as far as I'm concerned it's 200% true - you don't bite off someone's ear in public (a boxer or not) without having a
lot of violence going on behind closed doors.
As for what got Robin so upset specifically - it was a combo of Mike's comments and Oprah and the audience's response to them. A quote about what happened from Access Hollywood:
"“I was really hurt, really, really hurt,” Givens told Winfrey of the TV show host’s and her audience’s reaction to the boxer’s October “Oprah” show comments about the actress’ 1998 Barbara Walters interview. Tyson claimed on Oprah’s show that Givens lied during the interview and he added, “At that particular moment, I truly wanted to sock her, but I didn’t do it,” as the “Oprah” audience laughed."
Here's a recap of the Tyson interview from About.com: partly factual, with a very subjective view of the writers response to it:
Show Summary:
For the first time ever, Oprah welcomed former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to the show for an very open interview, discussing everything from childhood to children to drugs.
The often controversial fighter showed a new side of his life, a drastic alternative to his "Iron Mike" persona so many viewers are familiar with. Having the chance to see the life events that drove the man behind the gloves on stage with Oprah and also in the documentary Tyson was what Oprah called a study in humanity.
While Mike Tyson lived his life to the extreme, at the core of it all was a set of very relatable qualities; many demonstrated during the interview.
Special Highlights:
Oprah's interview with Mike Tyson featured the following highlights:
* Bullied as a child, Mike first started fighting to defend himself.
* After his mother died when he was 16, Mike was taken in by his trainer, who taught him to be a god in the ring. After he died, Mike shared he felt very alone.
* Mike Tyson began drinking and drug use to cope with his emotions.
* Through prison, bankruptcy, failed marriages, abusive relationships and drug use, Mike Tyson has learned how to better control himself and focus on his children, who he says are the most important in his life.
* Mike is now married for the 3rd time and has a 9 month old daughter. He works hard to stay true to his new path and raise his children.
What to Take Away from the Show:
This interview with Mike Tyson was one of the most surprising hours of television I may have ever seen. If there was any celebrity that seemed to live out their persona through and through their career, it was Mike Tyson.
While "Iron Mike" was who I expected to see, Oprah represented her own words and gave viewers a study in humanity watching Mike Tyson reveal a depth to his life never before seen on television.
The Mike Tyson image in the past was one of a soft-spoken warrior, but with this interview, Mike revealed moments in his history that made him very relatable to a large audience and brought an understanding to the events in his troubled past."
Found this pic - what's your take on Robin's expression? To me it reads: "Please get me out of here," unhappiness and fear.
Clips from the Oprah interview:
(Please note: the first video goes whack with a double-type feed, it fixes itself again.)