The Evolution of Tyler Perry

Maxine would be so proud of her boy! Over the course of his career, Tyler Perry has made himself a pillar in Black entertainment. As of 2020, his famed “Madea” persona made him a billionaire. The screenwriter, producer, director and actor has transformed the way Black stories are told on the silver screen. In honor of his contributions to the culture, here is the evolution of Tyler Perry.

Humble Beginnings

Tyler Perry was born Emmitt Perry Jr. on Sept. 13, 1969, in New Orleans. He has a brother and two sisters. Perry has spoken openly about his abusive childhood throughout the course of his career. His father was a carpenter, Emmitt Perry Sr., whom he once described as a man “whose answer to everything was to beat it out of you.” In a 2010 interview for O Magazine, he revealed that was a victim of sexual assault that happened when he was just 6 years old. Tyler wound up being kicked out of high school but obtained his GED. In 1990, he moved to Atlanta to pursue his dream of becoming a playwright.

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Tyler Perry, Darren Grant, Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris and producer Reuben Cannon at Diary of a Mad Black Woman 2005 Los Angeles Premiere.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which is based on one of Perry’s first plays, was the mogul’s debut feature film in 2005. The rom-com starred Kimberly Elise, Shemar Moore, Cicily Tyson and Steve Harris. The movie grossed around $50 million in the United States and in Canada. He went onto to make subsequent titles like Why Did I Get Married, Precious and For Colored Girls. Diary of a Mad Black Woman introduced the world to Mabel “Madea” Simmons, a character that would eventually blossom into its’ own franchise.

“Madea” Madness

APR 19: Tyler Perry at the “Madea’s Big Happy Family” Premiere at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California.

Perry’s best known movie character is “Madea,” whom he portrays himself. She has become one of Hollywood’s most notable onscreen personas. The matriarch made her first appearance in his 2000 play I Can Do Bad All By Myself and then again in Perry’s 2005 debut film Diary of a Mad Black Woman. He said that he was inspired by Eddie Murphy portraying his whole family—including women—in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps released in 2000. Madea became her own franchise and starred in several films including: Madea Goes To Jail, Madea Goes To Jail and A Madea Homecoming.

Television Takeover

Cast of ‘House of Payne’ in the press room at the 40th NAACP Image Awards. Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA.

It wasn’t long before Tyler Perry would bring his genius to television screens across America. His first syndicated series, House of Payne, debuted in 2007 on TBS. It ran for a total of 8 seasons and has aired more episodes than any other television series with a predominantly Black cast. House of Payne has surpassed The Cosby Show, Family Matters and The Jeffersons in this regard. Perry would go on to make subsequent shows including Meet The Browns and For Better or For Worse—both for the same network.

Tyler Perry Faces Critics

Tyler Perry speaks at Essence Festival at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Perry’s success did not come without backlash. For years, he has been accused of perpetuating Black stereotypes as evidenced by his use of slapstick comedy and caricatures. One of his biggest critics was Spike Lee. During an interview at the 14th Annual Black Enterprise Conference, the esteemed director likened Perry’s work to that of Amos ‘n’ Andy—a popular 1920s radio show in which white men portrayed Black men to reinforce racist archetypes. Perry’s response? “Spike can go straight to hell! You can print that.”

Hello, Oprah!

One of the most powerful women in the world took an instant liking to Tyler Perry’s work and had to have him on her team. Alongside Oprah Winfrey and Lee Daniels, Perry executive produced the 2009 Oscar-award winning film Precious. The movie was based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire. This would be the beginning of a lucrative partnership between Winfrey and Perry. In 2012, he struck an exclusive multi-year deal with OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Some of his original programming for the network included The Haves and The Have Nots, Love Thy Neighbor and The Paynes.

Tyler Perry Becomes a BET Darling

Tyler Perry poses in the press room with the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Following the release of Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Perry was honored with Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Writing for a Theatrical Film at the 2005 BET Comedy Awards. He has long been a staple at the network and in 2017 signed a deal with Viacom (the parent company of BET) to provide exclusive content and first looks at film treatments. The agreement went into effect 2 years later, which shows like Sistas, The Oval and Ruthless appearing on the BET+.

The Passion: New Orleans

A panel for “The Passion” at the Fox Winter TCA.

This 2016 FOX television special retold the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ, but combined it with popular music. It starred musicians Seal, Trisha Yearwood, Jencarlos Canela and Chris Daughtry. Perry hosted and narrated the musical, which was broadcasted live from New Orleans. The soundtrack that accompanied the production debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Tyler Perry attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Los Angeles.

It was only a matter of time before Tyler Perry would be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A few of his friends in attendance included Idris Elba and Kerry Washington who both starred in movies by the mogul (Daddy’s Little Girls and For Colored Girls, respectively). Perry dedicated his speech to those who may have the odds stacked against them. “This one in particular is for the underdogs,” he said. “This one in particular is for the ones who want to do it their way.”

Welcome to Tyler Perry Studios

Tyler Perry, Stacey Abrams, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios.

In 2015, Perry acquired the historic grounds of the former Confederate Fort McPherson army base in Atlanta. He transformed it into a major motion picture studio containing 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, 12 purpose-built sound stages (with each named after a Black actor) and a backlot across 330 acres. It’s one of the largest in the US. Celebrities who came out to commemorate Perry included Oprah, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Halle Berry, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson and Samuel L. Jackson. Politicians Stacey Abrams and the late John Lewis also attended the affair.

No Writer’s Room? No Problem!

In 2020, Tyler Perry set the internet ablaze when he took to social media and made a shocking confession: he doesn’t have a writer’s room for any of his shows. “I don’t know if you know this, but all shows on television have a writers room and most of the time there are ten people, 12, whatever that write on these television shows,” Perry stated. “I have no writers room. Nobody writes any of my work. I write it all.” What should have been a badge of honor for the director threw Black twitter into a frenzy, with many saying that having a team of writers would improve the quality of his scripts. A year later, he said he’ll give up some of his creative control...eventually. “My plan is to relinquish to a lot more directors and writers to take over a lot of these shows that I’ve started,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.

Billion Dollar Empire

In 2020, Forbes estimated Perry’s empire to be worth over $1 billion. His fortune includes his film and tv library worth $320 million, cash and investments valued at $300 million, his 330 acre studio worth $280 million and a stake in BET+ worth $60 million. “I love when people say you come from ‘humble beginnings,’ ” he told Forbes. “[It] means you were poor as hell. It also makes success sweeter. Ownership changes everything.”

Tyler Wins 2021 Oscars Humanitarian Award

Tyler Perry, winner of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

Tyler Perry received a special award at the 93rd Academy Awards. The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored the mogul in 2021 with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The award is given yearly to “an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” After he received a standing ovation from his peers, he preached the importance of empathy during his acceptance speech. “So anyone who wants to meet me in the middle to refuse hate, to refuse blanket judgment, and to help lift someone’s feet off the ground, this one is for you.”

Mabel The Prequel is Coming to Showtime

As reported by Variety last year, Showtime ordered scripts for the project entitled Mabel. Tyler Perry and Tim Palen are the show’s creators and executive producers; JaNeika James and JaSheika James attached to write and executive produce. Mabel tells the story of “Madea” as a 20-something Black woman in 1972 Atlanta. It will take the series of an hour-long drama—its release date has yet to be announced.

Netflix Brings “Madea” Out Of Retirement

Tyler Perry, left and Brendan O’Carroll joke around as they arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming” on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2022, at Regal LA Live & 4DX Cinemas.

Although Perry retired the famous personality back in 2019, he announced on Instagram that “Madea” was in fact coming back. Only this time, she would have a new home. “Hey, guess what’s happening?” Perry teased in the video clip he posted on social media. “Madea’s coming to Netflix. We need to laugh, man, too much is going on in the country. We need to laugh, so, I was done, but she’s coming back. Madea on Netflix. I can’t wait.” A Madea Homecoming debuted on the streaming giant back in February. Perry will also write, produce and direct A Jazzman’s Blues for Netflix, which will come out later this year.

Thicker Than Water

Tyler Perry helped collaborator Kerry Washington with book promotion for her bestselling memoir, Thicker Than Water, in October 2023. The pair were in conversation together in Atlanta, where they discussed Washington’s shocking revelations featured in the book.

Maxine’s Baby

In November 2023, Prime Video released Perry’s documentary Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, which tells the story of how he overcame his upbringing to become one of the most successful filmmakers of his generation. The film is named after his mother.

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