As one of entertainment’s most prominent figures, Tyler Perry is a household name. The film multi-hyphenate helped transform cinema to include more stories, characters and settings representative of Black culture. As a result of years of dedication, Tyler has amassed a sizable net worth — but he didn’t start out as a wealthy movie tycoon.
“I love when people say you come from ‘humble beginnings.’ [It] means you were poor as hell,” Tyler told Forbes in September 2020. “It also makes success sweeter. Ownership changes everything.”
Below, find out what Tyler’s net worth is and learn about his career.
How Did Tyler Perry Get Rich?
Tyler has a rags to riches story. Growing up in New Orleans, the actor started out as a playwright and eventually got his foot in the door of the film business.
According to Forbes, in 2020, Tyler earned around $1.4 billion in pretax income since 2005. With that money, he purchased properties in multiple cities across the U.S. in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Wyoming. He even bought two planes by that point.
Tyler eventually introduced the character Madea, and he made movie history by starring in and releasing 13 of them.
“I couldn’t walk down the street without people screaming, ‘Madea, Tyler, Madea!’” Tyler told Forbes in 2020. “And then, I got to Hollywood, and they had no clue. No clue to what I’d done, who I was or the following I had.”
Tyler Perry’s Net Worth
Tyler became a billionaire by the 2020s after several of his famous movies earned high box office numbers. By 2020, he had a net worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes.
How Many Movies Has Tyler Perry Made?
To date, Tyler has starred in and/or produced more than 20 feature films. Among his most famous movies and TV shows are the Madea films, the House of Payne series, Bruh, All the Queen’s Men and, his most recent film, Straw.
Why Is Tyler Perry Being Sued?
In June 2025, Tyler was sued by an actor named Derek Dixon, who accused the filmmaker of “sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation” because The Oval star didn’t return Perry’s “unwanted advances.”
“Mr Perry made it clear to Dixon that if Dixon ignored Perry or failed to engage with the sexual innuendos, Dixon’s character [in The Oval] would ‘die’ in the next season,” the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit further alleged that Perry “always held this over Mr Dixon’s head, implying that [his character] ‘Dale’ would survive if Dixon kept Perry ‘happy.’”
Derek is seeking $260 million in damages from Tyler. Meanwhile, the producer has denied all the claims, and his attorney called the lawsuit a “scam.”
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