Perry Admits To Prior Drinking Problem

From the outside looking in, Tyler Perry seemingly has it all; fame, fortune and friendships with some of the most powerful people in Hollywood. Unbeknownst to many however, the filmmaker was so overcome with grief after his late mother’s passing that he began to cope with it through alcohol. After years of keeping it under wraps, the playwright revealed the news to Essence after being asked when the seemingly never stagnant producer found time for rest. “I actually get eight hours of sleep, said Perry to the publication. “And I’m doing a lot better now, since I stopped drinking about four months ago when my mother died. When she got sick in 2009 I started drinking every night because I couldn’t sleep — every night up to a couple of months ago. I never had a problem, but I certainly was on way to having one.”

After revealing that he most enjoyed a glass of cognac for a nightcap, Perry admitted that a meeting he had with President Obama triggered something within him to help him kick his imbibing habit. “It was President Obama’s visit to my studio, I don’t know what happened there, but when he came, everything became clear,” said Perry. “I just kind of came out of a haze. It was like, “Wake up, kid. You know life is still going on. I know you miss her, I know you care, but wake up. Life is still going on.” I swear the day after he left was the day I just said I am going to sleep without it.”

Now free of his need to anesthetize with cognac, Perry is said to be continuing to work on his series ‘For Better or For Worse,” the same one that Bobbi Kristina Brown reportedly walked away from. Perry has since denied reports that the grieving teen ditched a role on his program. –danielle canada