By Dr. Eric J. Chambers
The Paley Center for Media honored movie mogul Tyler Perry on December 4, 2024, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. It was part of a star-studded event that featured Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle (the Duchess of Sussex), Kerry Washington, and more.
During the event, Winfrey and Washington poured heapings of love on Perry, reminding the audience of his impact on their lives and his fans’ lives. Both became emotional as they shared their love and respect for Perry. Washington said she considered quitting acting at one point, but a working opportunity with him encouraged her to stay the course.
During his acceptance speech, Perry spoke about his tumultuous childhood and mentioned some of the abuse he encountered, including being raped by an adult woman. He also told of the trauma he experienced watching his dad constantly beat his mother.
While on the red carpet, an Access Hollywood reporter showed
Perry a childhood picture of him when he was five. He told the audience that the picture triggered painful emotions because his mom shot the picture. He said she died fifteen years ago, nearly to the date. The trauma is something that he still deals with daily, and sometimes has to retreat to the mountains to pray just to stay sane.
Among the other notables spotted at the event were Chante Moore, Debbie Allen and Norm Nixon, James Pickens, Jr., Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Tika Sumpter, Cory Harewict, Yvette Nicole Brown, Essence Atkins, Florence LaRue, Cookie Johnson, LaTanya Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, and Tina Knowles, and Paley President, Maureen J. Reidy.
