Mike Tyson Revealed Why He Stopped Sleeping With His Tigers, And It Totally Checks Out

Mike Tyson is considered one of the most dominant professional boxers of all time, but that’s not the only thing he’s known for in the mainstream. Tyson has also been the proud owner of tigers, and while he was close to his animals, he introduced boundaries with his pets over time. For example, the fighter recently explained why tigers used to sleep in his bed, but he had to put an end to it for the most understandable reason possible. 

The fighter spoke to rapper and television personality Action Bronson for his podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, and during their discussion, he talked about his past raising three Bengal tigers. Mike Tyson spoke about the relationship he had with his tigers and how they even used to sleep in his bed, but it had to come to an end. He explained:

They start farting at night, and it fucks everything–aw man, you can’t imagine that shit, man. You have to crack the windows, oh shit. Fuck that. It’s indoors too. I say, ‘Why you let these mother fuckers in here, Mike?’ You can’t get rid of it because it’s like fart and piss and fucking stains in the wall, on the floor, on the rug, mother fucker. So I got them their own house, and I put them in the house. I bought the house next door, and I made that their house.

It’s a truly bizarre story from start to finish, but that’s par for the course anytime Mike Tyson has talked about his pet tigers. As mentioned, Tyson previously owned three Bengal tigers: Boris, Storm, and Kenya. Tyson has reportedly sent the tigers to live at a sanctuary and no longer owns any. He revealed as much in an interview with GQ Sports, as well as that he once paid someone $250,000 when his tiger “ripped somebody’s arm off.’ 

Mike Tyson doesn’t have a tiger anymore, but he does have an adorable Doodle named Mars. Tyson even has an Instagram account for his dog, and from what I can tell searching the page, no issues with Mars’ farts and pee stains ruining his bed.

The fact that Iron Mike Tyson has an Instagram page solely for his pet is about as great as the fact he slept with live tigers and can talk about it so casually as if that’s a thing people do on a regular basis. Of course, Tyson didn’t necessarily gain his reputation being the type of guy who wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as a tiger, and I doubt anyone would tell him to his face even now at age 55 that what he did wasn’t a good idea. Let’s just smile and be thankful farts were the worst thing Tyson ever worried about while sleeping with a carnivore. 

Mike Tyson is one of Hollywood's more eccentric types, but he's not the only celebrity who has had something offbeat going on in his home. For more on that front, be sure to check in on Meghan Trainor and the baffling double toilet she has in her bathroom

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.