‘Magic Mike’ star Channing Tatum defended himself against allegations of plagiarism from former male stripper buddies of him by saying that his accusers had been trying to make money off him since he hit superstar status.

Perez Hilton reported last week that Thomas “Awesome” Austin and London Steele claimed to have mentored Tatum during the actor’s tenure as a stripper. Austin and Steele accused the ‘G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra’ star of plagiarizing the plot of ‘Magic Mike’ from their life stories and from the stories of other male strippers, including the titular character.

Channing Tatum, however, shrugged off their accusations with those stout shoulders that he put on for his new movie. “Those guys have been trying to make money off of me since I got into this business,” he said.

And if that weren’t enough, Tatum also accused Thomas Austin and London Steele of being the culprits who sold the initial video of Channing undressing for money. (Ironically, that very same video of Channing Tatum baring his goods ignited a burning desire in the heart of Steven Soderbergh to make ‘Magic Mike,’ a film about the world of male stripping.)

“I don’t want to say anything bad about them,” Channing Tatum said of Austin and Steele, “Because they are part of the reason I think their world is so interesting.”

Tatum went on to call his two former fellow strippers “very interesting, intriguing, bizarre characters.” The star of ‘Magic Mike’ added that “I’m thankful for weird people out there.”

Starring Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, and Alex Pettyfer, ‘Magic Mike’ will premiere in the US this June 28.

Channing Tatum was accused of stealing the stories and moves of his former fellow male strippers to make his new movie ‘Magic Mike.’

TMZ was approached by Thomas Austin (who goes by the moniker  ”Awesome”) and London Steele, two former male strippers who once worked with Tatum back in the days when the ‘G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra’ star worked as a stripper. Austin and Steele claimed that Tatum’s new film was based more off their lives than his.

Austin described himself and his former male dance buddies (Channing Tatum included) to be a “brotherhood.” But while they were happy for Channing’s success, they also felt that Tatum betrayed them because he didn’t involve any of them in ‘Magic Mike.’

TMZ reported that Thomas Austin and London Steele claimed that they took Channing Tatum under their wings when he was a nobody. They supposedly taught him all their special stripper moves like ‘The Hot Seat’” featured in the film. In fact, Austin claimed that he invented the said move, just like how he was the one who came up with the moniker ‘Magic Mike‘ for a fellow male stripper.

The two ex-male strippers claimed that they felt slighted after seeing parts of the final product. Thomas Austin and London Steele said that Tatum failed to consult them for accuracy. Without them, they insisted, Channing Tatum wouldn’t have any material for ‘Magic Mike.’

According to Austin, Tatum was supposedly an “amateur” who “only danced for 4 months. How many events,” Thomas Austin asked, “Could have happened to him?”

In addition to being the lead actor of ‘Magic Mike,’ Channing Tatum also served as a producer. Tatum claimed that the film was partly based on his real-life experiences as a male stripper back in Florida.