Tyler Perry Responds To Criticism Over His Hit Movies And Shows: ”Are Y’all Looking At The Ratings?
Some of the best classic films and shows have been created by Tyler Perry. While some fans can’t get enough of them, others believe they offer stereotypical or negative depictions of Black people. In recent months, Perry has been criticized for his writing, with some claiming that all of his work continues to cover the same topics.
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In a new cover story for Variety, Perry talks about many things including the backlash over his work in entertainment. He told the outlet:
“When I hear that kind of stuff, I’m thinking, ‘Are y’all looking at the ratings? Do you understand that the audience is in love with this?’” he says. “Because if you’re complaining about my writing, you’re not the audience. My audience loves the way that it’s done and the way the stories are told. And from the beginning, it’s always been about being true to them.”
He went on to say,
“I grew up with a man who criticized me and said all kinds of horrible things to me every day of my life. And if that 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-year-old, beautiful kid can endure that and find a way, what kind of man would I be to be hurt or bothered by some other criticism?” he explains. “I never see a lot of it, but if it does get to me, I look for truth in it. There’s a lot of it that’s just vitriolic; that’s just ‘I’m going to hate on him because he’s Tyler Perry.’ I get that. But when there’s truth in the criticism, like, ‘Why did he do this, this and this?’ I go, ‘Hmm, let me think about that.’
Although the negative reviews don’t really get to him, the 50-year-old he admits that Spike Lee’s 2009 interview where he appeared to take aim at Perry when he described modern depictions of Black characters as “coonery and buffoonery,” actually bothered him, only becuase he respected him so much. “If any criticisms stung, it would have been his, because I had so much respect and admiration for him,” Perry said. “People’s opinions are their opinions, but that doesn’t negate the fact of the work that he’s done. And he’s due the honor of having a stage named after him and more than that.”
The two later reconciled after talking things over. While speaking about their meeting, Perry said: “I opened the door. I said, ‘Come in here, so I can beat your ass,’” Perry laughs. “And [Lee] said, ‘Fair enough.’ And we sat and we had a conversation. … He laid out his views and his opinions, which I respected. And he heard mine, and he respected them. So we can both exist in the same world with very different views and opinions and still respect each other.”
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