Tyler Perry takes giving back very seriously. From donating 1,000 gift cards to Atlanta residents in need, paying for Rayshard Brook’s funeral along with his children’s college education, or paying someone’s groceries, Perry believes very deeply in the importance of blessing others.
The mogul’s charitable foundation, The Perry Foundation, is receiving a special Emmy, which will be presented to him at the upcoming ceremony next month. ET got a chance to speak to Perry on his charitable donations as well as his late mother’s influence on him giving back.
“That’s the DNA of my mother. My mother was just such a kind woman,” Perry said. He also added that he tries to give back around the time of her birthday in February and around the holidays. “I’m thinking of her because I know that she would be smiling from heaven. So that’s definitely that part of my DNA.”
“I realize that people aren’t out there struggling because they want to. There are people that just need a hand up, and that little bit of motivation can take them a long way,” he said. “I’ll never forget being in the grocery store, in Winn-Dixie in Atlanta, trying to pay for some food and couldn’t pay for it. I was at Kroger. I couldn’t pay for it. There was a woman behind me who gave me the money to get the food that I needed. Never knew her again. But that little act of kindness made me feel like I could go on, so that’s what those moments are about for me. Just making people feel like they can go on.”
Perry will receive the TV Academy’s Governor’s Award during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast on Sept. 20, for his commitment “to offering opportunities to marginalized communities through personal and The Perry Foundation programs of inclusion, engagement, employment, and other philanthropic initiatives,” stated the TV Academy.
“For the Governors to even consider me for it and to know that they were watching and paying attention, that was really, really powerful. I was blown away by it,” Perry expressed. “When they said I’m getting that award and it’s about philanthropy, and it’s about the contributions to television, I think about all the people who work for me.”
Perry, alongside his team, continues to work during the coronavirus pandemic at his Tyler Perry Studios. He’s taken every precaution at his mega-production location to keep his productions safe.
Perry put together a 30-page set of safety guidelines, turning his studios into “Camp Quarantine.” He was able to film full seasons of BET’s Sistas and The Oval in a matter of just two weeks.
“As I’m directing, I’m editing. So I know I have it, I know if I have the shots,” he explained of his process. “I got an amazing team; the actors are ready to go. They’ve had their scripts for months. They don’t miss a line. It’s pretty amazing.”
Perry fans are also gearing up for the end of this month’s release of Madea’s Farewell Play on BET+.
“You’re gonna get so much laughter, and that’s what we need right now, and that’s the only thing that makes me wanna keep her going a little longer is because we need so much laughter,” Perry said.
“We’re dealing with a pandemic, we’re dealing with crazy politics, we’re dealing with all this sadness in the world, so it makes me wanna shake the dust off and pull out of that box and send her back to work.”
Although Perry is ready to say goodbye to Madea, he knows just how much fans love her.
“I just finished a tour last year, biggest tour that I’ve ever done. And I’m like, I’m at the end of this, arenas are packed with people, so it’s like, OK, people still wanna see her,” he added. “The joy and the laughter that she brings is important to me, so if that’s what it’s gonna be, we’ll see.”
Madea’s Farewell Play will stream Aug. 27 on BET+.
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