Is Tyler Perry a Terrorist?

He must answer for his crimes against Black women.

Tyler Perry is a lot of things: an elite amongst Black Hollywood, a philanthropist, and a creative visionary. But how did he get his acclaim?

A terrorist is defined as a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Tyler Perry has made billions off of the plight of Black women. Where is the line between storytelling and depicting harmful tropes?

His plays and early film career were so popular due to his ability to reach an untapped market. Black stories had never been told quite the way he tells them, with Madea being the matriarch, comedic relief, and problem-solver for all of her family's issues.

As beloved as she is, Madea can come across as a caricature of a Black woman, or at this point, Tyler Perry's opportunity to be a drag queen.

While Tyler has made strides in the entertainment industry, and I enjoy some of his earlier works, I wonder where his line is. The problem with these stories aren't that they lack base, as domestic abuse is a harsh reality for many Black women. The problem is that the abuse, paired with poorly written scripts and bad wigs, is a tired plot line that has been used again and again and again.

At this point in his career, why is he still telling the same story? Diary of a Mad Black Woman, his first feature film, debuted nearly 20 years ago, but almost every movie he's made after has followed the same rugged outline:

• Protagonist is a (usually successful/upper echelon) Black woman abused by her dark skinned man

• She is kicked out of her house or otherwise left for dead

• She finds her way to Madea's house, and is taken in and taught a life lesson. Madea encourages her to get revenge on her man and reclaim her life

• Madea's brother Joe makes perverted comments towards protagonist and gets into a roasting battle with Madea

• The protagonist takes Madea's advice, gets a new job and reclaims her life. She finds happiness again, usually along with a light skinned man with a bad wig and a lower socioeconomic status

• She has a confrontation with the dark skinned man and must choose between him and new man who treats her better

• She chooses the light skinned man and lives happily ever after

If this plot was only relevant to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, or even Madea's Family Reunion, Tyler Perry may not be on trial today. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In fact, there is an episode of The Boondocks that describes the repetitive theme in his movies (The Boondocks refers to Tyler Perry as "Winston Jerome").

Additionally, there is a TikTok puts the sound over clips from his most recent film, A Madea Homecoming. The accuracy is beyond comical.

The fact that this same plot describes countless films written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry is a crime that he must answer for. Where is the range? Where is the challenge to himself as a writer? Where is the vision? Must he always depict the plight of Black women at the hands of Black men? Are there no other stories he wants to tell?

First and foremost, as a creative, this is lazy. As someone who has made such a name for himself, he should be bringing fresh ideas to his audience. But maybe that's the problem - his core audience doesn't demand more. They enjoy the same traumatic stories. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

One thing Tyler is great at is giving new actors opportunity, as well as those who have been blackballed by the industry. I'd like to see him give other writers and directors a chance, too.

In 2020, Tyler made headlines for his unique work ethic. He said:

“I don’t know if you know this, but all shows on television have a writers room and most of the time there are ten people, 12, whatever that write on these television shows... I have no writers room. Nobody writes any of my work. I write it all.”

His work ethic would be impressive if his shows had more quality content. There is no reason not to have a writer's room for any of his shows, especially when he writes so much from the prospective of Black women. There was no reason that his 2020 film A Fall From Grace was filmed in five days. The plot, the editing, and the execution were all piss poor. Also, there is no reason for his cast members to still be in cheap wigs with all the money and resources at his disposal -- in Atlanta of all places.

Another critique that applies to all his films -- his characters are too one dimensional. Most of his characters lack nuance. The protagonists/love interests are too good, the villains are too bad, and the friends are only comic relief. His main characters really have no arc besides a literal come-to-Jesus moment.

The main character always has a painful lesson to learn, usually, after having been beaten or otherwise assaulted.

Some moments that come to mind:

• A Fall from Grace - Grace finds love again after divorce, but her new husband Shannon of three months turns out to be abusive and manipulative. He steals her money, mortgages her house with forged documents and at one point, commands her to fetch him his ashtray, saying, "Ashtray, bitch!". One day, she finds him cheating and hits him with a baseball bat. She eventually pleads guilty to his murder. During her trial, her lawyer Jasmine discovers that Shannon is in fact alive, and the son of Grace's best friend Sarah. Together, Shannon and Sarah have been kidnapping elderly women and stealing their social security information. Grace is freed after Jasmine presents the new information to the court. (I'll give Tyler some credit - this film was a different way to portray a Black woman's plight. And no light skinned hero at the end.)

• Why Did I Get Married? - After Sheila was told she was too fat to ride on the plane, her husband stayed on the plane en route to a marriage retreat alongside Sheila's "friend" Trina. When Trina vocalized the wrongness of the situation, Mike said that Sheila is okay to drive alone and jokes that "her fat ass needs to walk". Sheila proceeds to make the long, cold drive alone to Colorado, having to spend the night in the jail cell in the Sheriff's office to avoid the storm. The next morning, Sheriff Troy escorts her to the cabin with the rest of her couple friends, where she finds out that Mike and Trina are having an affair. She divorces Mike, starts over in Colorado and finds love with Troy and loses weight. When Mike sees her months later, he is impressed by her appearance and almost remorseful.

• Diary of a Mad Black Woman - On their 18th marriage anniversary, Helen is dragged out of her home by her husband, Charles, who decides he wants a divorce so that he can be with his mistress and two sons from their extramarital affair. Orlando, the Uhaul driver called by Charles, is instructed to take Helen somewhere, but they get into it. She puts him out the truck and drives herself to Madea's house. Madea helps Helen get back on her feet, and she eventually runs into Orlando again. They fall in love, but their relationship is threatened when Charles is shot and paralyzed. Helen goes home to care for him, as his former mistress wanted to pull the plug on him. Helen gets her licks back while caring for Charles. During a church service, Charles gains his ability to walk again. Still, Helen decides to divorce him and lets him keep the money. She says yes to Orlando's marriage proposal.

• Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor - Judith is a marriage counselor that is dissatisfied in her own marriage. She steps out, cheating on her husband Brice with Harley, a wealthy entrepreneur she meets at work. Their affair ends with Harley leaving Judith bloody, bruised, and contracted with HIV. In the future, she is telling her story in a session with a young client, who is persuaded to stay with her husband. Judith goes to the pharmacy to pick up her HIV meds from Brice, who is a pharmacist. Brice's new wife and son walk in, leaving Judith salty.

The Hollywood Reporter

After dozens of films and TV shows with the same themes, there seems to be an underlying message... one that is rooted in misogynior.

(Side note: Men are rarely the protagonist of Tyler's stories. Tyler Perry was once homeless and struggling. Maybe he should tell that story instead?)

His works would definitely fit under the description of trauma porn. I can't help but wonder if he gets a kick out of seeing Black women being abused, or if there is more tea to his stories. Maybe that Boondocks episode was on to something - which is why it offended him enough to be pulled off the air.

Why does the protagonist always have a lesson to learn in relation to the men in her life? Is he punishing Black women? Is he threatened by their virtue and independence? Does the protagonist always have to date down to be happy? Is there a greater relationship to the church that when a Black woman is suffering or recovering from addiction?

The misogynistic undertones of his works can also be seen in the difference between the descriptions of his shows, Bruh, and Sistas:

As Tyler thinks about his legacy, is this all he has to give? I'm sure these stories come from a real place, maybe from his mother, aunts, cousins, etc. But where is the joy in the communities he was raised in? Where is the love absent of suffering?

Ultimately, I don't think Tyler Perry is consciously terrorizing our community, but I do believe the tropes he's created are harmful. I do expect more from him. He has a unique responsibility in the industry. In a society where life imitates art, and where people look to representation in film and media, it is his job as an influential creative to give his people something to look up to. To give Black women an example of love that doesn't require suffering first.

The Black community as a whole needs more opportunities to see ourselves loved on, cherished, and full of joy. That's not just a note for Tyler Perry, but for all creatives. Do better.

P.S. a show that better handles the themes and nuances of misogynoir is PValley.

If you are in need of Black shows minus the trauma, check out:

• Abbott Elementary

• Insecure

• Atlanta (mostly a comedy but some episodes contain serious matters)

• South Side

• A Black Lady Sketch Show

• Grand Crew

• Selling Tampa