In the midst of personal and worldwide turbulence, Tyler Perry is staying positive and forging ahead. In a transparent and self-reflective Facebook post, the film mogul gave us a glimpse into his personal life as he sits in the throes of a midlife crisis.
“This is what a midlife crisis looks like,” writes Perry in the caption of a post-workout selfie. “I’m 51, single, and wondering what the next chapter in my life will look like. Whatever it looks like I’m going to walk with God, be the best father and man I can be, hold my head up high, and try to look my best doing it!!
He goes on to encourage his followers to stay uplifted and push forward as he is determined to do in his own life. “In a world with so much sadness, please try and stay in the good!” he continues. “Merry Christmas and let’s look forward to 2021 bringing us peace!”
Perry was most recently in a relationship with model and documentary filmmaker Gelila Bekele. Together, they share a six-year-old son named Aman. Tyler and Gelila Bekele reportedly met at a Prince concert in 2007 and began dating two years later. In an interview with The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, the Madea star explained why he and Bekele hadn’t shared photos of their son with the public. “I know there are no pictures of him, but that’s not something we do,” the proud dad said. “We’re not the kind of parents — my son’s not famous. We’re trying very hard to keep him protected so that he can know who he is before he gets into the crazy bull crap of this social media world.”
The filmmaker and writer has garnered tons of success over the past few years, especially with the opening of his Tyler Perry Studios campus in Atlanta. He’s also rolling out a slate of new shows with BET. He’s also got things cooking over at Netflix. His thriller A Fall from Grace drew in 26 million views on Netflix in the first week.