Tyler Perry Speaks About His Abuse Ahead of Film Release
Ahead of the release of his new film, writer, actor and producer Tyler Perry talked candidly for the first time about the physical and sexual abuse he endured as a child.
Perry, known most famously for his character "Madea" in his countless stage plays, recently went on the "Oprah" show and told the renowned talk show host that as a child the unrelenting abuse made it nearly impossible for him to trust adults. He was the victim of brutal beating from his father as a child. He described his childhood to Oprah as "a living hell."
He said, "I feel like I died as a child. To this day, I don't know why he did it."
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But the abuse didn't stop there. Perry also disclosed the countless times he was sexually abused at the hand of several adults – men and women – including a neighbor, a friend's mom, a nurse, and a church member.
"The man from church used God and the Bible against me to justify a lot of the things that were going on. It was so horrible," he recounted.
After living in fear for so long, Perry attempted suicide.
He told Oprah, "I thought, 'What is the point of living?' My mother was truly my saving grace, because she would take me to church with her. I would see my mother smiling in the choir, and I wanted to know this God that made her so happy. If I had not had that faith in my life, I don't know where I would be right now."
Perry's stage plays and films often convey a faith-based message of triumph and the endless possibilities of God.
Just on the heels of this interview, Perry's newest film, "For Colored Girls," premiered this week in New York and will hit theaters Nov. 5. Based on Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf," the film addresses the hardships of being a an African-American woman. The film stars Janet Jackson, Kerry Washington, Phylicia Rahard, Loretta Divine, and Whoopi Goldberg, among others.
In 2010, Tyler was named the second highest-earning man in Hollywood by Forbes magazine.
On the Web: http://www.forcoloredgirlsmovie.com/
