Tyler Perry opens up about his abusive childhood

585

Just a few weeks after his fortieth birthday, the in-many-ways-mysterious Tyler Perry shed a little light on his background through his website. In a must-read entry for anyone who’s every wondered about Perry’s personal life, the director details a childhood filled with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

An upcoming movie with Oscar buzz, Precious, inspired Perry to share:

“Case in point, not long ago, I was brought a film to watch to see what I thought of it. It’s called PRECIOUS, based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire. I sat at home watching this movie not knowing what to expect. After the movie was over, I sat there for a long time just thinking about what I had just witnessed. I watched all the things that Precious, a 16-year-old girl in the film, went through. I watched her mother be unusually cruel to her and I realized at that moment that a large part of my childhood had just played out before my eyes. It hit me so hard, I sat there in tears realizing that somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through. My tears were tears of joy, being thankful that I made it.”

You can read Perry’s entire missive here.

Advertisement