Tyler Perry Held a Grand Opening for His $250 Mil Studio Opening with Oprah, Beyonce, Tiffany Haddish, etc.

Photo Credit: Variety

About 30 years to the date that Tyler Perry first moved to Atlanta, he now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has just now debuted one of the largest production studios in the country in Atlanta. And it didn’t happen just anywhere, it’s located on a former confederate army base now owned by black people which also happens to make him the owner of the largest black owned production studio in the country as well as one of the largest in the country. He held an event akin to the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys rolled into one as Variety Magazine put it. Stars were present from the likes of Oprah, Beyonce and the rest of Destiny’s Child and her mother Tina Knowles-Lawson, Patti Labelle, Jennifer Hudson and many more. Bow Wow took a picture with Bill Clinton and said his price for attending events just went up since he was just able to be in the presence of a former president.

On the red carpet for the event, Perry said, For people to drop what they’re doing in their very busy schedules to come and join me in this moment is beyond anything I could’ve imagined. It makes me happy. It makes me want to cry. It makes me grateful. It’s just I’m beyond, I’m over the moon right now.”

The evening was centered around him making a tribute to many of the black trailblazers he says made the way and inspired his career including Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Sidney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg, Cicely Tyson and Harry Belafonte.

“It means I’m a part of history. This is an historic night in American cinema. It’s never been done before. So I’m honored and humbled that my brother asked me part of it,” Spike Lee told Variety before being honored with Soundstage 10. At the dedication and unveiling of each soundstage, they were met with fireworks and soaring applause.

Perry spoke on the recent passing of Diahann Carroll saying, “It’s sad news, is exactly what I thought at first, but then I looked at her 84 years on this planet. I looked at all that she was able to do. I looked at the bridges and the barriers that she broke just for me to be in this moment. So I’m celebrating it.”

Tiffany Haddish spoke about what a joy it is to work with Tyler Perry saying, “Every time that I came in to work here at Tyler Perry studios, it was the biggest smile on my face. Cause I know the history of this place — It was a Confederate union military base. Trying to keep us enslaved. Now it’s owned by a black man.”

Politicians present included Stacey Abrams, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. John Lewis, and President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. There were media figures Gayle King, Don Lemon, Tamron Hall and Sunny Hostin from The View as well as Viola Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay were also present.

Jennifer Hudson gave a performance worthy of a standing ovation from Patti Labelle, and just like his recently awarded Hollywood Star, he gave out his very own Tyler Perry Studios Hollywood stars to Tika Sumpter and Keshia Knight Pulliam as a surprise. Dinner included a 30 minuted set from Mary J. Blige in the Oprah soundstage.

Tyler Perry is a man who has faced immense criticism in his career but has proven that if you want to do something, you truly can and that natural limitations aren’t a factor either. 30 years ago when he produced his first play with his life savings, he became homeless shortly after. He had expected 1,200 people to show up but it ended up being 30 and all of his bills were tied up in that play. Just a little over 15 years later he ended up in a multi-million dollar mansion and today he’s one of the most respected in Hollywood. And who would have thought we’d see another black person eclipsing BET in black media?

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