Via starring roles or as the mastermind behind the scenes, Tyler Perry has been one of the most consistent commercial performers on the big and small screens over the last 20 years thanks to everything from the ‘Madea‘ film franchise to TV ratings champs like ‘The Haves & Have Nots,’ ‘Sistas,’ ‘House of Payne,’ and more.
And while his comedies, dramas, and everything in between have left some audiences clamoring for more, that level of exposure hasn’t come without its fair share of criticism – a topic the media mogul tackles in earnest in the forthcoming Prime Video documentary ‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.’
Often the brunt of scrutiny for work some argue doesn’t always portray African Americans in the best light, Tyler refutes the notion in the gripping tell-all film and reiterated his stance during a recent interview with ‘CBS Mornings.’
Hop inside to see what he said.
Taking to CBS on Tuesday (November 7), Perry sat down with resident anchors Tony Dokoupil, Nate Burleson, and Gayle King to dish on ‘Maxine’s Baby’ and the vulnerability that came with chronicling his meteoric rise to fame and success.
Certainly not paved in gold, part of that journey was having to overcome the detraction of many from his own community.
“No, we all have critics; we all have people who don’t understand,” Perry started when asked if criticism from the Black community hurts his feelings. “When I get to those ‘hoity toity’ Negroes who don’t understand [and are] looking down their noses at everything…I marvel at them at how intelligent they are but how they miss the most simple things.”
Tyler asserted many of the jeers he’s received over his career come from the biased lens of those trying to dissociate from the culture.
“I marvel at any Black person who wants to remove themselves from their Blackness. There’s this instant thing of ‘let me get away from where I come from, let me get away from the Madeas of my family, and let me educate myself away from my Blackness,'” he continued. “Those people I don’t have respect for.”
Later in the conversation, he made clear his stance should not suggest he is not receptive to criticism overall.
“If they have an opinion, great. You’re educated; you get it and I hear you, but I can’t respect what you’re saying because you don’t understand what this is and what this means to us,” he said before later sharing, “Every person’s story matters.”
That’s not all he said. Click PLAY on the video above to watch the entire interview.