Here's Why Tupac's Dad Isn't a Fan of Hulu's New Dear Mama Docuseries

Shanelle Genai
·2 min read
Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994.
Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in March 1994.
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Despite Hulu’s new docuseries, Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur getting rave reviewes from critics and fans alike, there’s one person who isn’t too keen on the project: Tupac’s own biological father William “Billy” Garland.

Speaking in a new interview with the Art of the Dialogue YouTube channel over the weekend, Garland explained how he was initially “reluctant” to speak to the series’ director Allen Hughes, as he felt other previous interviews he did had been taken out of context, but he eventually obliged. However, it wasn’t until he saw how the footage of their interview was used that he became “disappointed” in how things turned out.

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“We did an interview for about two hours. After I saw the interview in the documentary, I was slightly disappointed, let’s just say that,” Garland explained. “I didn’t like it. I thought it was more about something else, than about Tupac, if you know what I’m saying. If I knew it was about Dear Mama, I might’ve still did it, but I probably wouldn’t have. Not for nothing.”


“2Pac Was Not Bipolar” 2Pac’s Father Billy Garland Disappointed In Allen Hughes and His Betrayal.

He also clarified that he was unaware that the documentary was going to be about Afeni, as he thought it was just going to be about his son. Additionally, he made it abundantly clear that if he had’ve known about Hughes previous commentary about his son—specifically when he referred to him as a “delusional mythmaker” years ago—he would not have participated for the docuseries.

All five episodes of Dear Mama are available to stream now on Hulu.

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