Tyler Perry

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tyler Perry

• Tyler Perry grew up in an economically challenged household in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

  

• Perry had a traumatic childhood, which he has often described as a “living hell.” His father, Emmitt Perry, Sr., was abusive and dealt with every situation with violence and beatings.

• His father used to beat him so much that one day his aunt pointed a gun at his father and told his mother never to leave Tyler alone with him. After that, he started going everywhere with his mom. The church was the only place where Tyler felt safe.

• Perry was abused by three men and a woman at 10. He stayed silent for years, which caused a lot of anger and pain as he grew up. Later, after watching The Oprah Winfrey Show, he began writing as a way to deal with his feelings and slowly began to heal.

• At 16, he changed his name from ‘Emmitt’ to ‘Tyler’ as he did not want to have any ties to his father.

  

• During an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Perry shared that he tried to take his own life twice, once when he was about 12 years old, and again at the age of 22.

• In 1990, Tyler moved from New Orleans to Atlanta. In 1992, he spent his $12,000 savings, earned from doing jobs like selling cars and collecting bills, to produce his first play, ‘I Know I’ve Been Changed,’ at a local theatre.

• He drew inspiration for his first play from the letters he had started writing to cope with the anger and pain caused by childhood abuse.

• Perry spent six years rewriting the play ‘I Know I’ve Been Changed’ after early poor reviews. In 1998, he successfully restaged it in Atlanta.

• He later toured with more plays across performance venues known as the ‘Chitlin’ Circuit, which mainly featured African-American artists, helping him build a devoted Black audience.

• In 2005, Forbes reported that Perry had earned over $100 million from selling play tickets, $30 million from videos of his shows, and around $20 million from merchandise. At that time, he was staging about 300 live plays a year, drawing about 35,000 people each week.

• Perry used money from his stage play ticket sales to raise a $5.5 million budget for his debut film, ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ (2005). While critics gave it a low 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was a commercial success, making $50.6 million in the U.S.

• Tyler made his directorial debut with the film ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’ (2006), which earned $30.3 million in its opening weekend and went on to make $65 million overall.

• In 2007, he worked as a writer, director, and producer for the film ‘Daddy’s Little Girls.’

  

• Tyler Perry was once romantically linked to actress Tasha Smith, who starred in several of his films, including Why Did I Get Married? and Daddy’s Little Girls. While the rumours drew public interest, neither of them ever confirmed the relationship.

• In 2006, Tyler Perry was rumoured to be dating model and television host Tyra Banks after the two were seen having dinner together. However, representatives for both denied any romantic relationship.

• Tyler met filmmaker Gelila Bekele at musician Prince’s concert in 2007. They gradually fell in love and began dating. In 2014, they welcomed their son, Aman. The duo, however, parted ways in 2020 but did not mention the reason for their split ever.

• Perry has written, produced, and directed several other films, including ‘Meet the Browns’ (2008), ‘The Single Moms Club’ (2014), ‘Acrimony’ (2018), and ‘Straw’ (2025).

  

• Perry directed, wrote, and produced all Madea films series, including ‘Madea Goes to Jail’ (2009), ‘Madea’s Big Happy Family’ (2011), ‘A Madea Christmas’ (2013), and ‘Madea’s Destination Wedding’ (2025). He also acted in them.
  

• He has also worked as a director, writer, and producer for television series, such as TBS’s ‘Meet the Browns’ (2009-2011), TLC’s ‘Too Close to Home’ (2016-2017), and BET’s ‘The Oval’ (2019).

  

• In early 2009, Tyler threatened to sue a tax company called Mo’ Money Taxes for airing a television ad that he felt mocked the character ‘Madea’ from his film ‘Madea Goes to Jail.’ The company soon took the advertisement off the air.

• After his mother died in 2009, Perry took a DNA test and found out Emmitt Perry, Sr., was not his real father.

• On 2 October 2012, Perry signed a multi-year deal with Oprah Winfrey and her ‘Oprah Winfrey Network’ (OWN). In collaboration, he worked as a writer, director, and producer on series like ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ (2013–2017) and ‘The Paynes’ (2018).

  

• Tyler Perry has worked as an executive producer for films like ‘Nobody’s Fool’ (2018) and ‘A Fall from Grace’ (2020).

  

• In 2023, Tyler Perry was rumoured to be in a relationship with actress Crystal Hayslett. The rumours were later denied by actor Devale Ellis, who confirmed in an interview that they were just friends.

• Tyler is a fitness enthusiast and often hits the gym.

  

• He is an avid traveller and often shares his travel experiences on social media.

  

• He is adventurous and enjoys engaging in activities like jet skiing.

  

Tyler Perry and Kimberly Elise in a gif from the film ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ (2005)

Tyler Perry as ‘Madea’ in the film ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’ (2006)