Tyler Perry, the American producer, director and actor, has revealed plans to move to Puerto Rico with his 11-year-old son early next year, alongside a major step back from his entertainment career.
Perry shared the news during an appearance on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, telling hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones that they were the first to hear it. He confirmed he was officially moving to Puerto Rico and said it was true when pressed on the announcement.
After several decades in the entertainment industry, Perry explained that the move would also bring a significant shift in his professional life, since he intends to withdraw largely from the public eye. He said he is moving to Puerto Rico early in the year and retiring to a large extent.
Interview clip spreads online
Footage from the interview began circulating on social media afterward. An account called World Latin Honey posted about it on X, formerly Twitter, on September 15, 2026, writing: "TYLER PERRY SHOCKS HOLLYWOOD: HE'S MOVING TO PUERTO RICO & STEPPING BACK FROM HIS EMPIRE."
Perry, who comes from Louisiana, is expected to leave his multimillion-dollar mansion in the Atlanta, Georgia area, located near the film studio he owns there. Tyler Perry Studios, which opened on a former U.S. Army base in Atlanta in 2019, is one of the largest film and television production facilities in the country and has served as the home base for his Madea film franchise and numerous other productions.
His son and fatherhood
The 56-year-old has a son, Aman, with his former partner, Gelila Bekele, an Ethiopian model and filmmaker. The couple separated in 2020.
During the interview, Perry also spoke about his bond with his son and how fatherhood has affected him personally. He said that having the opportunity to be a father now and to give Aman all the love he never received himself has felt truly healing, adding that spending more time with him has also helped him work through issues tied to his own childhood.
Lawsuits Perry is facing
The announcement comes as Perry faces two multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed by two actors who have accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior in separate incidents said to have occurred last year. Perry has denied the allegations and described both lawsuits as a scam.
