'09
Tyler Perry is one of the producers of Precious, a film that will likely be one of the big Oscar contenders this awards season. It’s a film about a girl who suffers significant abuse – we talked about the film a little bit yesterday, with the story about Mo’Nique’s diva act. As Tyler prepares for what will likely be a months-long underdog Oscar campaign, he’s chosen to come clean about the abuse he suffered as a child. Tyler posted a long message on his site detailing the abuse, and discussing in detail how that abusive past has stayed with him:
Filmmaker Tyler Perry, who is promoting a new movie about an abused teenager, has gone public with brutal memories of his own childhood beatings and molestation.
In an email to fans that has Perry’s admirers buzzing, he recounts various examples of terrible childhood mistreatment – from his father beating him senseless to a neighbor woman molesting him at age 10.
Even his grandmother, the mother of his hated father, became a threat when she objected to his weekly allergy shot, he recalls.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that damn boy – he just got germs on him. Stop wasting all that money,” she said, he recalled.
“She came and got me out of the living room leaving my Matchbox cars on the floor. She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all. She gave me a bath in ammonia.”
Perry, 38, fled his abusive home in New Orleans and, after a period of homelessness and struggle, became a writer, director, actor and producer.
He is now a mega-millionaire and one of the world’s most influential black filmmakers. He is the producer of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” on TV and his movies, including “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” have grossed $400 million.
Along with Oprah Winfrey, he executive produced “Precious,” the story of an illiterate obese teen mom struggling to rise above horrible sexual and mental abuse. The movie opens nationally Nov. 6.
Perry has made no secret of his unhappy childhood and speaks often of his abusive father, but the raw details in his email were new revelations.
“I’m tired of holding this in. I don’t know what to do with it anymore, so, I’ve decided to give some of it away,” he wrote in Saturday’s email, which was also posted on his website.
He recounted being beaten by his father for reading books and filching cookies.
“He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back. To this day, I don’t know what would make a person do something like that to a child,” Perry wrote.
Without elaborating on what seems to be another molestation incident, he mentioned “a man that I knew from church when I was a kid” who had died broke and whose family asked Perry to pay for the funeral.
“I quickly said no, but I wish I would have said yes. There is something so powerful to me in burying the man that molested me,” Perry wrote. “I would have dug the grave myself.”
Perry said God sustained him, and provided comfort in his darkest times. Terrie Williams, author of “Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting,” praised Perry for sharing his old misery.
“When someone like Tyler Perry posts this kind of personal message it helps to free others,” Williams said. “People are suffering unspeakable, horrific horrors and they live with those secrets that tear them up inside. There are countless numbers of people who have been violated and haven’t addressed their pain and that leads to depression, or self medicating, drinking, drug abuse, compulsive shopping when you don’t have any money or eating disorders. Share your story to liberate yourself and get help.”
[From the NY Daily News]
It’s very sad, but I’m glad Tyler is in a place in his life where he can talk about these things openly, in attempt to educate and heal. I didn’t know he had this in his past – although, I’ll admit, I don’t really follow Tyler Perry news. He and Oprah are BFFs, and she’s one of Precious’s executive producers, so I’m sort of wondering if Oprah will have Tyler on to really discuss his childhood. You know it’s coming.
Tyler Perry is shown on 9/23/09 and 9/8/09. Credit: WENN.com
Written by Kaiser
Posted in Abusive, Tyler Perry
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16 Responses to “Director Tyler Perry says he was abused & molested as a kid”
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I think it was very brave of Tyler to come out with this private information. It must not have been easy for him, but I hope it can help others in similar situations as he was in.
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It’s hearbreaking to me every time we hear about another person who was molested as a child. However, Tyler Perry shows that you can overcome your past and upbringing. I think he stands as such a good example, and I’m glad he’s being more outspoken; society needs to shed the shame of sexual abuse.
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It is mind boggling what some humans do their own children. I hope his brave decision to share his experiences will help himself and others cope and move forward and be free from the shame and hurt of abuse.
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It’s good he is able to forgive, mostly for his own peace of mind. But that doesn’t absolve the abusers.
Even if they been famous movie directors.
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CandyKAy, I totally agree.
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I really hate to say this (eh, not really), but maybe this explains why he’s always dressing up as an old grandmother in all his movies and plays. He said his grandmother was one of his abusers. I dunno, but I’d love to be his therapist.
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I’m not being flippant when I say, I think the timing is suspicious what with a new film on the way and the recent revelations by another famous person. It’s a good headlines grab.
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Or he just thought it was a funny gag? You’re not his therapist, don’t psychoanalyze the guy.
As for Oprah bringing him on, I don’t know, it’d be really self-serving of her to do so, but maybe if he requested that the forum in which he truly discusses this is with his gal O?
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I think that this is an extremely brave move on his part to completely publicize the level of abuse that he suffered as a child. Although, his abusive past hasn’t ever really been a secret. When he first started performing his plays across country and when he was one of the stars, at the end of one play (I only went to one), he explained the origin of a line of dialog between a couple. He mentioned that growing up, his father doubted Perry’s paternity and cited that as one of the reasons for his brutality. The main reason for the doubt was that Tyler Perry has light-shaded eyes and his father believed that the eyes must be from a different father until one day years after Tyler was born, his father noticed the mother’s light-colored eyes. Tyler’s comment after the play was something like, ‘Can you imagine being married to a spouse for years and years and they not know the color of your eyes?’. I think that his artistic works are an effort to exorcise some of his demons in an entertaining way. I’m not a big fan of his work, but I appreciate his efforts to turn tragedy into triumph.
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@ Hieronymous….
I can’t help but notice this is not the first time you have expressed skepticism over abuse. Mackenzie Phillips, I believe you defended Roman Polanski… What is that about? 95% of victims do not make up their stories, the ones that do are psychologically disturbed. Its a really serious trauma, and it says with a person for life. Maybe Tyler Perry decided to come forth with his story because working on the movie brought back the pain and the memories of childhood abuse.
I’m not stalking you or anything, but as someone who has suffered abuse myself, I just want you to know your posts always rub me the wrong way and you seem to be very insensitive to the victims of these crimes, and skeptical of sexual/physical abuse in general.
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There are so many people in this world who are emotionally/physically abused to the point where they lose themselves.
At least he got out of it still knowing who he is and doing wonderful things for others. Now I understand why he does charitable things especially for children
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God bless tyler perry for revealing himself like that. in the black and hispanic community it’s a no-no and im glad he disregarded all those stupid rules!
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I believe you defended Roman Polanski…
Uh no- I encouraged the outraged on this forum to spend their righteous fury in taking realistic action that would actually affect the outcome, instead of drawing up enemies lists and blacklisting celebrities over a different court case opinion. So good to know that my advice was taken to heart (not)! Personally, I don’t care about 30 year old court cases, aside from the fact the police really dropped the ball by not hounding Polanski to the end of the earth.
Mackenzie Phillips by her own admission sucked up enough cocaine in the 70′s and 80′s to kill 3 people so I’m inclined to take her accusations with a grain of salt. Accusations of child m*lest*tion/abuse are the modern equivalent of being accused of witchcraft in the 1700′s in that it’s a crime of such terrible impact and consequences that whomever makes the claim is believed because we don’t want to accept that a person could possibly lie or at least embellish in that fashion about another person. The fact that the people they are accusing also happen to be dead and buried and can’t speak for themselves, just makes it seem all the more convenient and unbelievable.
and Annie I didn’t think it was funny, I just didn’t believe him. Sorry if that was confusing for you.
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@ #12.
I don’t know what you mean it’s a no no in the black & hispanic community! But… I can only speak on behalf of the blk community since I am a blk person. This is something that has went on for years in the blk community. Abuse, Rape, & Color discrimination (skin tone) meaning the more light, bright or closest to white you are somehow you have it a bit easier & life and you’re more likely to be accepted by whites & the stereotypes don’t get put on you as a much darker African American would be. In our community things like this is rarely discussed such as: rape & molestation, abuse, sexuality, skin tone, hair texture and much much much more… we have a long way to go…
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Well, Oh My God! I got this far. I would like to say congrats on all your projects and all you have been doing have been planned by God. However, I know God has a plan for me, but I am not sure what it is, but I know I would love to work with you in a play, movie or whatever, because as I watch your performances, I have noticed, you do not forget who works for you. The resason, I am stating this is because during this hard time for work I have been working many places from temp services and the last job was with Johnson & Johnson, and I really loved the job. Until, on September 4, 2009, I was terminated because I was too black and I heard it being said, I am still stuck on stupid, so I guesd God did not wanted me there, so hopefully I can contact you for a chance at employment.
Respectfully yours,
Sweetie
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@ Hieronymous… Just the fact that you compare child abuse to witchcraft exemplifies your general insensitive attitude toward the subject.
There is one huge glaring difference between that negates your stupid metaphor — CHILD ABUSE ACTUALLY HAPPENS!
Because someone did drugs, they never suffered abuse? Obviously you don’t know many addicts. Often there is an event that triggers their downward spiral. With Mackenzie, she idolized her dad, he introduced her to drugs, and eventually took advantage of her uninhibited state. The abuse only served to further isolate and handicap her.
It’s really sick to me that you would call her story “convenient” – are you kidding? The trauma she and her family have suffered, I call her brave. There is no convenient time to come forward against an abuser, especially if they are close family and supposed to be well trusted.
Give it a rest. Stop defending abusers if you want to look like an intelligent, rational, thoughtful, and conscientious, human being.
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