Oprah Winfrey Celebrates Tyler Perry at Paley Honors Tribute Gala

December 8, 2024

The stars came out to celebrate Tyler Perry being saluted at The Paley Honors Tribute Gala.

Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle, and Kerry Washington were among the many A-listers who attended the Paley Honors Tribute Gala on Wednesday to celebrate Tyler Perry’s recognition.

The multifaceted entertainer and media mogul was honored at The Paley Center for Media’s annual fall gala for his remarkable achievements over the past two decades as an actor, writer, director, producer, philanthropist, and owner of the 330-acre Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Variety reports. Winfrey gave an impassioned salute to Perry to kick off the night and celebrate her “big little brother.”

“I am just delighted to be here tonight — and I really do mean that, because I don’t like to go out much — but I’m out tonight because I get to talk about my big little brother,” she began.

“He is a giant among men. Not only in what you see in his 6’6″ physical stature, but he is a giant soul. He has a ginormous spirit that is guided by a divine hand.“

Winfrey praised Perry’s ability to “create art that lets people know they matter.” Her words were supported by an elite group of guests which included Hollywood producer Nicole Avant, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, veteran entertainment executive Debra L. Lee, ADebbie Allen, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Cookie Johnson, Tina Knowles, Ebony Obsidian, Tika Sumpter, Diane Warren, Yvette Nicole Brown, among others.

Perry sat alongside friends Duchess Meghan Markle and actress Kerry Washington (a host for the evening) as got emotional listening to Winfrey sing his praises.

“The majority of people watch the news and they think, ‘Oh, what a shame,’” Winfrey said. “Tyler watches and says, ‘What can I do now to make a change?’”

Washington credited Perry with helping to reignite her career when it reached a stagnant point and she considered retiring from acting after achieving a personal goal of starring on Broadway. But Perry had other plans when he offered her a role in For Colored Girls and motivated her to continue acting onscreen.

“Tyler encouraged me to dream a bigger dream for myself, to reach further, to dream that there was something out there for me that was beyond what I had imagined,” she shared. “He invited me into a world with my peers and with my heroes, and he told me that I belonged, and it changed the trajectory of my career.”

Perry received his award from Avant and Sarandos before taking the stage to deliver a heartfelt 10-minute speech. He shared how challenging this time of year is for him, as it marks the anniversary of his mother, Maxine Perry’s, passing. Perry also opened up about the traumas of his childhood, recounting his experiences of witnessing his father abuse his mother, enduring sexual abuse, being racially profiled by police, and witnessing a teacher kill his pet hamster under the pretense of a science experiment.

“The very fact that I can stand here today — and that little boy who didn’t have the tools that I have as a man was able to make it — I think that’s enough to allow myself to celebrate,” Perry said.

“At 55 years old, I am the freest version of myself that I’ve ever been. I turned toward all of that pain, threw my arms wide open, embraced every bit of it, stared at the shame, went down in it, and took the power out so that I could heal. And I would challenge each and every one of you to do that as well.”

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