Tyler Perry Receives Criticism For Building Massive New Film Studios
Over the weekend, Tyler Perry hosted the grand opening of his 330-acre new film studios in Atlanta. It was a star-studded event where influencers like Beyonce, Spike Lee, Cicely Tyson, Bill Clinton, and Will Smith appeared. Beyonce even took to Instagram and spoke to how she was so inspired by attending the gala that showcased various sets and sound stages that were dedicated to black trailblazers in film.
However, some people weren’t too impressed by Perry’s new massive film studios and they took to Twitter to air out their grievances. Perry was criticized for making history “at the expense of Black women,” not using the land to serve the homeless, participating in capitalism, and allegedly not paying fair wages to employees. Chicago rapper Noname even chimed in on the conversation. Check out some of the tweets below.
https://twitter.com/noname/status/1181255564443045889
It's hard to celebrate Tyler Perry's historic success when he got there by parodying big bodied Black women, using thinly veiled misogynoir, expressing overt transphobia and homophobia, and privileging cishet Black maleness over Black women, femmes, and queers.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) October 7, 2019
But go awf.
https://twitter.com/oh_HOLMES/status/1181553937616375809
And he did it at the expense of Black women — maligning and vilifying us in almost all his movies/shows for the sake of some paternalistic “moral” lesson. https://t.co/lZfdWIg0gh
— CiCi Adams🌸 (@CiCiAdams_) October 7, 2019
People aren’t upset because Tyler Perry won. People are upset because Tyler Perry won at the expense of his own community, but hey, y’all have fun.
— Nicholas Styles (@DonteLamonte) October 7, 2019
"He gave ppl jobs!" - are they paid fairly? Do they have insurance?
— Optimus Fine (@sunnydaejones) October 8, 2019
Damn. One Black man having more wealth than all of us combined is not a win for all of us.
https://twitter.com/oh_HOLMES/status/1181243242131726336
His current location at the old Fort McPherson base is one that has gotten both a lot of local criticism and local praise.
— Your Next Best Friend (@IamKingWilliams) October 7, 2019
Criticism: sales price, jobs, impact on neighborhood
Praise: jobs, impact on neighborhood, Black entrepreneurship
It’s a bit complicated so let’s go 👇🏽
Some people also came to Perry’s defense. Check out those tweets below.
Yes his movies suck but he has provided so many black actors with opportunity. Imagine what he could do with his own studio. You guys are never satisfied. My God.
— A🌷 (@ruelfaa) October 8, 2019
https://twitter.com/RegBlackGrl/status/1181350258514825217
- he isn’t responsible for blight and that’s a combo of banks/everyday people trying to hustle in real estate
— Your Next Best Friend (@IamKingWilliams) October 8, 2019
- none of these big ticket projects revitalize neighborhoods b/c they don’t own/have no incentive
- if we’re doing TP that way, we have to do the other sound stages too
