Tinseltown titan Tyler Perry broke down several times during his appearance on the daytime talk show “The View” while discussing the documentary about his mother and childhood.
The 54-year-old owner of Tyler Perry Studios had trouble finishing the segment after co-host Sara Haines said she had the pleasure of figuratively “meeting” Perry’s deceased mother, Maxine, via the poignant and powerful documentary Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.
Perry had to pause to compose himself several times as he became emotional.
“I [got to know] Maxine through all of it; I did know her,” Haines said.
“Wow, you [got to know] my mother; wow, thank you,” Perry responded as tears filled his eyes. To show support, panelist Sunny Hostin put a hand on his shoulder. Perry went on, “To say that you [got to know] her through that, that takes me somewhere because that’s a woman who endured so much pain, and she didn’t have some legacy, but she had me, and to say I was able to introduce her to you, you got me there. Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy. I appreciate that.”
When Haines attempted to move on to a new subject, Perry stopped her.
“I need to get myself together,” he said. “You really got me.”
Afterward, Perry continued speaking about his parents, particularly his mother.
“I just imagine a woman who’s lived her entire life with so much pain, and she was always worried about everybody else. I watched her get sick; I watched her get cancer; I watched her have all of these things because her intention was, ‘Are you happy? Are you okay?'” he explained. “She never put herself on the list, and she never thought she was important and never thought anybody would care. So, to say that this documentary … introduces her to the world, that moves me because she was very special to me.”
The documentary was directed by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz and will stream on Amazon. The film follows Perry’s tumultuous childhood in New Orleans that helped to shape the man who became a billionaire movie mogul who starred, acted in, directed, and produced many Hollywood hits, including his popular Madea movie franchise and stage plays.
