Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Whether you like his movies or not, you have to admit that Tyler Perry has made a distinct impact on Black culture.
His Madea movies are a fan favorite, and he has built a billion-dollar enterprise on them.
He has created a space where Black stars can shine in films in a way that Hollywood doesn’t always let them; that is a solid truth.
This weekend, Tyler Perry was trending for something other than his work on screens big and small.
A viral clip of Perry’s appearance on Crystal Hayslett’s “Keep It Positive, Sweetie” podcast had Black women across social media in an uproar.
In the clip, Perry and Hayslett are discussing relationships. Hayslett is reflecting on advice Perry had given her in the past about the relationship she was in at the time and the man she was in the relationship with.
Perry and Hayslett reflected that the message Perry was delivering at the time was about having people meet you at your worth, which Perry clarified wasn’t about money.
“Anybody who can’t do that, that doesn’t mean they are not worthy of you,” Perry said. “That means that they either need to attempt, try, learn, find out enough about you to figure out what that is.
“And that’s not money,” he added.
Perry went on to say that women, “especially Black women,” are making a lot more money than Black men.
“There are a lot of Black men who are successful, but for the most part, Black women are making the money.”
It was this next part that essentially set the internet on fire.
“So, if you can find love, if that man works — you know — at whatever job and is a good man and is good to you and honors the house and honors his wife and does what he can because his gift may not be your gift,” Perry…
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