With a Godmother like Oprah Winfrey, one would expect that Tyler Perry’s only son, Aman, would be spoiled by the luxuries of his super rich family. But, the man, who is ranked as one of the richest entertainers in the world, leans heavily on his humble upbringing and keeps his son grounded with lessons in gratitude and humility that he learned from the “living Hell” he knew as a child.
Perry–who grew up in poverty with repeated lashings from his own father–is determined to be a supportive and loving dad to his own son, all the while, teaching him “about the struggle.”
Tyler Perry, who has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, is a celebrated actor, writer, and producer known for his slapstick humor in film and television. His portrayal of the hilarious and brash character Madea–a tough elderly African American woman–gained him widespread recognition for a role that crossed performances on stage, film and TV.
The highly decorated entertainer, who has honors from the Academy and Primetime Emmy Awards, is praised as a visionary in the industry, a position he worked hard to achieve.
When speaking on the Oprah Show, Perry, now 53, revealed his dark beginnings, shocking the host, his close friend, over the brutality of his childhood.
When asked to describe the early years, he answered, “[It was] a living hell.” Tearing up as he watches photos of his life flash across the screen, the man said, “That’s hard for me to look at. I feel like I died as a child.”
Perry then described one beating that remains fresh in his mind.
“To this day, I don’t know why [father] did it. But I remember him cornering me in a room and hitting me with this vacuum cleaner cord. He would just not stop.” he continued, “There are all these welts on [me], the flesh that’s coming from my bone.”
Showing a high degree of resilience, Perry explains that he refused to nurture the beatings and other abuse from his childhood. “…he gave me something to carry that I didn’t want, that I didn’t desire. And thank God, somewhere along the way, I found what you feed will grow in your life, and what you don’t will starve.”
Feeding his success, the star of “Sistas”–a media mogul, actor, writer and producer–is in the exclusive club of the world’s richest entertainers, falling fifth behind George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Oprah and John de Mol.
“I love when people say you come from ‘humble beginnings.’ [It] means you were poor as hell. It also makes success sweeter,” he said when speaking with Forbes.
Aman Tyler Bekele-Perry
Besides being a business tycoon and a media personality, Perry is also a proud father to Aman Tyler Bekele-Perry, who was born November 30, 2014.
“I get a FaceTime call, and she’s holding up the pregnancy stick. I’m like, ‘I guess this is happening,’” Perry told People about how long-time girlfriend, Gelila Bekele shared the big news.
Perry who was 45 when he became a father split from Bekele 2020, and now the two are focused on co-parenting Aman, whose godparents are Winfrey, Cicely Tyson, and Oliver Ripley
And the doting dad can’t help but gush over his adorable son, who he’s teaching the realities of privilege and the importance of hard work.
“[Aman] does not get everything he wants. For birthdays, he’ll get a gift or two. For Christmas, he’ll get a gift or two. Because he [doesn’t] have a job. He ain’t got no money,” Perry joked.
The star of A Madea Homecoming recalled when the boy, only six at the time, called and asked to use his dad’s credit card.
“So I’m at work, I get a message from [Aman], and he said, ‘Papa? Can I use your credit card?’ He’s 6 years old!” Perry said. “I’m like, ‘What the hell you know about a credit card?’ He’d just seen me use the credit card. I was like, ‘No, son. That’s just plastic, but you have to pay for it. You have to have a job.’”
Perry credits his ex-Gelila for being consistently grounded, and for being the balance he needs in parenting.
“I want to give him everything, because I didn’t have it,” he explained. “But I also know how dangerous that is, because I have friends who have wealthy kids, and I want to punch them in the face. You know what I mean? These kids, they’re just… They’re obnoxious! And I can’t raise that either. Because he’s a sweet boy…”
“We teach him about the struggle,” he continued. “We teach him about what a blessing it is to have anything! So he gets that, in this sense. And I want to make sure he maintains that.”
Despite his fame, Perry prioritizes Aman’s privacy and allows him to lead a normal life and wants his son to have the freedom to pursue his dreams, whatever they may be.
He adds, “I want him to know what it’s like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was.”
Tyler Perry had such a tragic childhood but he really is serving as a source of inspiration to others who might have experienced the same.
It’s great to see that his son is learning how to be humble and we look forward to seeing him through the years!
