Tyler Perry spoke about his ability to make millionaires while on stage at the 2025 BET Awards.
The billionaire entrepreneur has been a staple in Black Hollywood for over 20 years from his successful stage-play run to box office success. To date, Perry’s films have grossed over $1 billion at the box office .
“I have made more Black millionaires—hear me when I say this—than any studio in this city combined because I’m making footprints,” Perry said. “So I don’t care if you’re struggling, if you’re trying to make it, you’re trying to build a business. If you have a dream, keep making footprints. This is not the time to give up. This is the time to dig in and keep leaving footprints everywhere you go.”
Actors and actresses often talk about Tyler’s generosity, saying that they get paid what they are worth at Tyler Perry Studios.
Paying Taraji’s Worth
Taraji P. Henson was one of the first Black actresses to speak about Tyler Perry’s fair business practices. On an episode of Variety’s: Actors on Actors, Henson revealed that Perry was the first studio that paid her asking price: $500,000.
“I’ve been trying to prove and improve. I was asking for half a million. I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person who paid me $500,000. I was never in a position where I could not take a job,” Henson said to actress Ellen Pompeo.
As Henson has worked with Perry multiple times in the last decade, she may be one of those millionaires.
Honoring Cicely Tyson
Perry is not only paying fair wages and making millionaires out of new talent. The Madea’s Family Reunion creator is also financially lifting up the old guard. In 2007, Perry paid Black Hollywood legend Cicely Tyson $1 million a day’s work on Why Did I Get Married?
Tyson, who died in 2021, was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Yet, the actress never received her worth according to Perry.
“This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it. She made $6,000 for Sounder, you know?” he told AARP The Magazine. “I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her.”
These are only a few examples of Perry’s millionaire-making work. He currently owns the largest production studio in the United States, so his capacity to make millionaires is seemingly endless.
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