40. From day one, Perry’s plan has been to leave his studio one day to Aman. “[My dream] for him is to be the best that he can be,” he said in 2018 on Essence magazine’s Yes, Girl! podcast. “All that he wants to be, no matter what that is. In my mind what I would love to say is, ‘Here are the keys to the studio. I’ll be somewhere smoking a joint on an island, you go do this. I’m 80-years-old now, go do your thing. ‘But, if that’s not his dream I just want whatever it is that he does to be special and amazing.”
41. Madea has been in nine plays and 10 films that have grossed more than $500 million worldwide. Her final movie, according to her creator, was 2019’s A Madea Family Funeral.
42. At the 2020 Emmy Awards Perry was honored with his first Emmy as the recipient of the prestigious Governors Award. Perry thanked the academy and gave a touching speech about the lessons he learned from his grandmother that helped him along the journey.
43. Perry has always remained very active in the Black community and vocal about showing his support for causes he finds important. When Rayshard Brooks was killed after being fatally shot by the police in Atlanta, Perry paid for his funeral.
44. He opened up Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta in 2019. He’s the first African-American actor-director-writer-producer to own a studio outright with no partners or corporate backing
45. Perry found ways to give back to many people directly effected by the coronavirus pandemic. In early 2020, he paid for the groceries of elderly and high-risk customers at grocery stores in Louisiana and Atlanta.
