NEWSBillionaire Tyler Perry Slams Family for Taking Advantage of His Wealth: 'That Doesn't Work for Me'
Tyler Perry said he refused to 'be welfare' to relatives who wouldn’t work for his support.
July 24 2025, Published 7:39 a.m. ET
Tyler Perry, the billionaire media mogul, has a no-nonsense approach when it comes to supporting his family financially.
During an eye-opening discussion on the YouTube series Den of Kings with host Kirk Franklin and fellow guests Derrick Hayes and Jay "Jeezy" Jenkins, Perry opened up about his tough love philosophy.
Tyler Perry revealed he fired his aunt for her lack of commitment.
Perry recounted the moment he fired his aunt from her job, revealing that her lack of commitment pushed him to take action. "She said she wanted a job. She would always call asking for money, I would send her the money," Perry explained. "I said, '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.'"
However, the situation quickly soured when Perry's aunt failed to show up for work. "You want me to hand you the money, but you don't want to work for it. See, that doesn't work for me," he recalled telling her before letting her go.
Tyler Perry gave relatives 60 days to find jobs after his mother died in 2009.
Perry applies the same tough love to his 10-year-old son, Aman Perry. If Aman wants certain things, he must earn them through chores. "I don't believe in giving us things that are just going to handicap us," Tyler stated.
"That is the worst thing you can do."
The Madea creator also revealed how he handled family members after his mother passed away in 2009. Tyler sent letters to those she had asked him to support, informing them they had 60 days to find employment. "I'm not going to keep supporting you like that," he stated, making it clear that he wouldn't enable their reliance on him.
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Tyler expressed satisfaction that all of the family members eventually found jobs. "And it wasn't even, like, jobs where they made a lot of money, but it was a job," he noted.
He added: "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."
With a net worth of $1.4 billion, as reported by Forbes, Tyler owes much of his success to owning 100 percent of the content he creates. His Madea franchise alone has grossed over $660 million.
Aman Perry, Tyler's son, hasn't been spoiled despite the comedian's hefty fortune.
The 55-year-old filmmaker has also made headlines for his parenting style. In a December 2024 appearance on The Sherri Shepherd Show, Tyler shared that he deliberately avoids spoiling Aman, opting to give him "books and Legos" for Christmas.
He even revealed Aman flies coach, despite Perry's wealth. "He was complaining once, this was about five years ago, he was complaining about flying commercial because the lines were so long," Perry remembered. He and Aman's mother, Gelila Bekele, decided their child would fly coach from then on.
Tyler Perry said he makes his son fly coach to learn the value of hard work.
"So he understands, I worked, he did not," Perry explained.
"So when he works, he can learn that lesson," Perry emphasized, adding he wants to ensure Aman is not a "ridiculously spoiled rich kid. He ain't got no money."
