Tyler Perry is to be honored with the humanitarian award at this year’s Academy Awards.
Perry, 51, will be presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 93nd Academy Awards ceremony, People reports. The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Thursday that Perry will receive the award alongside the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF).
This will be the first time the Academy has ever given the award to two recipients, and this will be the first time that MPTF has been awarded. “There has been such widespread generosity in our industry that limiting the Hersholt Humanitarian Award to one recipient, this year, in particular, was impossible. So, we are breaking with tradition and giving two awards to honor that spirit,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement.
“Tyler’s cultural influence extends far beyond his work as a filmmaker,” Rubin continued. “He has quietly and steadily focused on humanitarian and social justice causes from the beginning of his career, caring for people who are most often ignored. The work of the MPTF is more vital than ever, and the organization has gone above and beyond to help our community. The sheer number of individuals and families–from every corner of our industry’s workforce–aided during the pandemic and over the last 100 years is nothing short of extraordinary.”
Perry has been an influential figure in the country for years, especially in his hometown New Orleans, Louisiana. Last year he donated 5,000 meals to families in Atlanta during a Thanksgiving Giveaway Event. He also donated 1,000 gift cards to families that were impacted by the coronavirus.
The Oscars will take place on April 25.
