Bumble Founder Tried to Cancel Swiped — The Shocking Reason Why

Swiped, the Rachel Lee Goldenberg movie loosely based on Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, just hit Hulu — and yes, Wolfe Herd tried to stop it. This is one of those unauthorized-biopic situations where the real person is both flattered and freaked out, which makes for a pretty fascinating backstory.

The unauthorized biopic problem

Wolfe Herd told CNBC she had nothing to do with the film and only found out once it was already rolling — script written, wheels in motion, the whole thing. She even tried to get it shut down a couple years back, but ran into the usual wall that comes with being a public figure.

'I even was asking my lawyer two years ago, What do I do? I don't want a movie about me. Shut it down! He was like, There's nothing you can do. You're somewhat of a public figure. There's public information out there, they're going to do what they're going to do.'

Inside baseball, but worth noting: once you reach a certain level of fame or notoriety, you generally can't stop someone from making a movie about your life if they stick to public info and fair use. Not fun if you're the subject, but that's the system.

Her reaction so far

Wolfe Herd says she couldn't even make it through the trailer — too weird watching a dramatized version of your own life. She hasn't decided if she'll watch the full movie, and she describes herself as both terrified and a little flattered. The fear and strangeness currently win out over the flattery, though she did say she's honored that Lily James is playing her and called James a talented actress. There was also a very human shrug in there about maybe grabbing popcorn and seeing how it all lands.

What the movie is

Swiped fits right into the recent wave of tech-founder dramas. It zeroes in on Wolfe Herd's rise in a very male-dominated industry, including the milestone where she became, at one point, the youngest self-made female billionaire. The film is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and features Lily James as Wolfe Herd. It's streaming now on Hulu.

Quick recap

• Swiped is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and is now streaming on Hulu.
• It follows Whitney Wolfe Herd's rise in tech, including her youngest self-made female billionaire milestone.
• Lily James plays Wolfe Herd; Wolfe Herd says she's honored by that casting.
• Wolfe Herd was not involved and only learned about the film after the script was already written.
• She tried to shut it down two years ago, but her lawyer said she couldn't because she's a public figure.
• She found the trailer too weird to finish, hasn't decided if she'll watch, and says fear outweighs any flattery — for now.