Nepotism only goes so far with Tyler Perry.
The entertainment mogul, 55, explained Sunday how he once fired a close relative because she wasn’t taking a job he hired for seriously.
Perry appeared on the YouTube show Den of Kings, speaking with host Kirk Franklin – a 20-time Grammy winner and Gospel music icon – and guests Derek Hayes and Jay ‘Jeezy’ Jenkins on the topic of being a boss.
Perry explained how he had an aunt who told him that ‘she wanted a job’ after he told her that he didn’t want her living off his wealth without making some sort of contribution.
‘She would always call asking for money, I would send her the money,’ said Perry, who was in the headlines recently denying claims of sexual harassment brought against him by an actor.
Perry said that he told his aunt, ‘Listen, I want to help you – I want to help you build this thing, not be welfare to you – so, let me give you a job.’
Tyler Perry, 55, explained how he once fired a close relative because she wasn’t taking a job he hired for seriously
Unfortunately, according to the Madea creator – who Forbes estimates is worth $1.4 billion – the position he gave his aunt didn’t work out, as he had to fire her for repeated no shows.
He said he expressed his frustration with his aunt, who assumed their family connection would protect her from the consequences of not showing up to work.
Perry said he fired his aunt personally, informing her, ‘Well, you gotta go, because you want me to hand you the money, but you don’t want to work for it.’
Perry, a close pal of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle added, ‘See, that doesn’t work for me.’
He added that he was raising his son Aman, 10, with similar values, making him finish chores before providing him with an allowance.
‘I don’t believe in giving us things that are just going to handicap us – that is the worst thing you can do,’ said Perry.
The billionaire producer said that the 2009 death of his mother Maxine prompted action in this area of his life, as he told a number of relatives (she had asked him to support) to start looking for a job.
Perry said he informed multiple relatives via letter that he would cease providing them with financial support in 60 days, and encouraged them to find work.
Perry explained how he had an aunt who told him that ‘she wanted a job’ after he told her that he didn’t want her living off his wealth without making some sort of contribution.
Perry was in the headlines recently denying claims of sexual harassment brought against him by an actor
Perry is full owner of the lucrative Madea film franchise, which has made more than $660 million at the box office and beyond
Perry said he told the relatives in question, ‘I’m not going to keep supporting you like that,’ leading some to find work.
He added, ‘And it wasn’t even, like, jobs where they made a lot of money, but it was a job.
‘It was something else for them to do, feel some pride in. That’s the same thing I would want someone to do for me.’
Perry, appearing on The Sherri Shepherd Show in December of 2024, said he keeps things low-key with holiday presents for his son, who he shares with Ethiopian model-activist Gelila Bekele.
‘He was complaining once, this was about five years ago, he was complaining about flying commercial because the lines were so long,’ Perry said.
At that point, Perry said he and Bekele agreed that to hammer home a lesson in humility, their son would be sitting in coach on future flights.
‘So he understands, I worked, he did not – so when he works, he can learn that lesson,’ Perry said.
He vowed of his son, ‘He’s not gonna be one of those ridiculously spoiled rich kids, I can’t stand that – he ain’t got no money.’
Perry is full owner of the lucrative Madea film franchise, which has made more than $660 million at the box office and beyond.
