Tyler Perry credits Black women for his 30-year career: ‘When Black women are with you, you can do anything’

The writer/director used his final appearance on ‘Sherri’ to discuss a wide range of topics, including the influence of Black women on his career.

Tyler Perry is no stranger to paying it forward.

His recent attempt to help support unpaid TSA workers notwithstanding, the mogul has openly been vocal about lending support to Black women and vice versa. During a recent appearance on Sherri Shepherd’s “Sherri,” Perry said that one group has always guided him in his career.

After Shepherd asked him about the idea that his core audience would ever leave him, Perry pointed toward his time crafting stage plays as one of his earliest lessons.

“Here’s what I learned,” Perry began around the 5:10 mark of the interview. “It’s been 30 years in this business, when I started doing the plays. Like, if I do something I write, I write something that goes this way, and they don’t like it, I learned immediately: they tell me ‘no.’ You hear the rumble in the audience, or the ‘boo’ or the ‘no.’ So I learned very early on what works and what doesn’t work.”

He continued: “My audience, largely Black women? When Black women are with you, you can do anything. I know that firsthand. That has been my mother, my aunt, my sisters, my friends, it’s amazing.”

Perry’s love for Black women has extended in numerous ways. From casting Teyana Taylor in one of her earlier film roles to even casting Shepherd in “Madea Goes To Jail,” he’s also made certain legends like Cicely Tyson routinely got roles in the later years of her career and also made certain to focus on Black actresses like Taraji P. Henson, Angela Bassett, Kimberly Elise, Alfre Woodard and Angela Bassett in starring roles, each with their own personality and characteristics to not fall into stereotypical archtypes.

From stage plays to Hollywood success, Black women have routinely been front and center in Perry’s work, and the love has extended to streaming series and beyond. Even when answering critics last year with the release of “Straw” starring Henson, Perry reiterated that he was “paying homage” to Black women.

“I say nothing to those people who think that my films focus on the struggle of Black women, because they’re right. It does,” Perry told True Love Magazine. “What I’m doing is a service to all people, so that people will know that Black women are not just strong and one thing; they are all things, and they go through all of these different things.”

He added, “To have an opportunity to be able to paint all of these pictures and all sides was something that I’m paying homage to my mother, to my aunt, to my sisters and friends and cousins and the things that they all went through.”