Mike Tyson says he confronted Boosie over transphobic comments because of his daughter
Tyson said his daughter felt Boosie’s comments were ‘disrespectful to the community’
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Your support makes all the difference.Mike Tyson has revealed that he confronted rapper Boosie Badazz over transphobic comments he’s made because his daughter encouraged him to.
Earlier this week, the former professional boxer had Boosie appear on his podcast Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson, where he criticised the rapper about his comments regarding Dwyane Wade’s 12-year-old child, Zaya, who came out as transgender.
After first reminding Boosie of the saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” the 54-year-old then questioned whether the rapper’s own insecurities, possibly stemming from his sexuality, were the reason behind his offensive comments.
Boosie’s response prompted Tyson to ask “who the f**k are we to make a comment about somebody’s life”.
“What happened to you that you think that you’re somebody that can make a comment on somebody’s life?” Tyson continued, adding that there have been moments in his own life where he’s had to admit he was wrong.
The conversation, despite not acknowledging that Zaya’s transition has to do with gender identity and not sexuality, was met with support from listeners, who praised the boxer for calling the rapper out over his comments.
However, according to Tyson, he may not have had the conversation if it wasn’t for his daughter.
Speaking to TMZ, the heavyweight champion said that he “was Boosie at one time,” before revealing that his daughter flew from New York to California to confront the rapper herself.
“She flew all the way from New York City to Los Angeles, California, where I'm at, just to be there because she thought Boosie was so disrespectful she had to confront him,” he said.
According to Tyson, who said his daughter felt that Boosie’s comments had been “disrespectful to the community,” she also confronted the rapper at one point during the podcast.
“I was worried because I thought I was going to have to get angry because this is my baby, but he conducted himself like a gentleman,” Tyson said of the interaction. “And it went okay.
“My daughter has a lot of courage.”
Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union have been publicly outspoken about their support for Zaya after she revealed that she identifies as a female.
Boosie previously faced criticism for transphobic comments he made on social media earlier this year after Wade shared the story of Zaya coming out as transgender during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in March.
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