Mon Sep 22 12:50:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Whitney Wolfe Herd, the CEO and founder of Bumble, expresses her discomfort and lack of involvement with Hulu’s upcoming film “Swiped,” a biopic based on her life. Despite her attempts to prevent the film’s production, legal constraints prevented her from doing so. While acknowledging a sense of flattery, Herd is primarily “terrified” by the film. Lily James, who portrays Herd in the film, has described the Bumble CEO as a “visionary” and “trailblazer,” noting that the role was “really inspiring”.

**News Article:**

**Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd “Terrified” by Upcoming Hulu Biopic “Swiped,” Despite Lily James’ “Inspiring” Portrayal**

**LOS ANGELES, CA -** Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder and CEO of dating app Bumble, has expressed mixed feelings about Hulu’s new film “Swiped,” a biopic about her life and career. The film premiered earlier this month at TIFF and is now available to stream.

Speaking with CNBC, Herd revealed that she was not involved in the film’s production and had even attempted to stop it two years ago. “Frankly, I was informed about this movie after it was already off to the races,” she said. “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.”

Herd admitted that she hasn’t watched the full trailer, finding it “too weird.” While she expressed a degree of flattery, she stated, “I’m obviously both terrified, and maybe slightly flattered? But I think the strangeness and the fear of it outweighs any flattery.”

Despite Herd’s reservations, actress Lily James, who plays the Bumble CEO in “Swiped,” has spoken highly of her subject. At TIFF, James told Deadline that Herd was a “visionary” and “trailblazer.” “I obviously knew about both apps, Bumble and Tinder, but I had no idea there was this woman right at the kind of epicenter of them, and I was bowled over by her story,” James said. “And I went down a rabbit hole, obviously, of research and learning everything I could about her, and I’ve found her to be truly inspiring and a trailblazer. It’s been a really meaningful experience getting to kind of step into her shoes and recreate and dramatize this story in our film.”

“Swiped” joins a growing subgenre of biopics about 21st-century tech entrepreneurs. Previously, James swore that she was “done” playing real people after portraying Pamela Anderson. Whether Herd will ultimately watch the film remains to be seen. “I guess I gotta get some popcorn and stay tuned,” she said.

Read More