Tyler Perry may be one of Hollywood’s most prolific moguls, but he is decades removed from the proverbial Rich Uncle Pennybags who scatters money in all directions just because he can. On Kirk Franklin’s Den of Kings podcast, the singer had a frank and open discussion alongside Jeezy and Derrick Haynes detailing instances from his own life that illustrate the thin line between charity and enablement that he balances.
The Madea creator also makes the point to stand his ground, despite his wealth, when it comes to poor financial management from other family members. In one anecdote, Perry explained how he’d had to cut off his own aunt, a woman who’d begged him for cash and who received help, yet refused to acknowledge when she was given a real chance. “She said she wanted a job,” Perry remembered. “She would always call asking for money. I said, ‘Okay,’ I would send her the money.”
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However, with the requests piling up, Perry decided to offer her a job instead, aiming to empower rather than enable. “I was like, ‘Listen, I want to help you. I want to help you build this thing,” he told her. Except his aunt didn’t take up the offer. There were days she didn’t show up to work. Perry had to lay down the law, “You want me to hand you the money, but you don’t want to work for it. See, that doesn’t work for me.” Perry also shared that he declined a family member’s request for an unbelievable $1 million. The specifics of that request weren’t thoroughly explored. No level of emotional intimacy justifies willy-nilly gifts without consequence.
These revelations underscore a fundamental value that has guided Perry throughout his life and career: a strong work ethic. Rich as he is, even $2.5 billion does not change his deep-seated belief that a place should not be something you deserve, but something you earn. For Perry, success has never been solely a matter of what you have, but how you obtained it. And should you seek a seat at his table, you had best be prepared to bring your own chair.
