Today on Oprah, writer/actor/producer Tyler Perry promotes his new film Why Did I Get Married Too? -- the sequel to his 2007 hit about four marriage-minded couples on vacation, in theaters now. His costar Janet Jackson visits, too, and opens up about the loss of her brother Michael.
Perry is more than a guest; he and Winfrey are long-time friends (and recent coproducers on Oscar-nominated Precious). While promoting Precious together in a joint interview , Perry said, "To have a friend like Oprah to help me navigate through the craziness of this business is a blessing."
"Everybody needs somebody to help them navigate," added Winfrey. "I had Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones and Sydney Poitier and Maya Angelou, who I looked to, to help me. It can get crazy when you're bombarded by all the stuff coming at you. You have more money than you ever dreamed coming at you in your life. Because you know how to spend $29.95, but you don't know what $29 million is. What does that mean? You need somebody to help you figure out how to handle that stuff, and how to stay centered."
Not unlike his rags-to-super-riches friend Oprah, Tyler Perry is worth a lot more than that! According to Forbes, he earned $75 million in 2008 -- making him the sixth highest-paid man in Hollywood.
The 40-year-old has had a Midas touch since he wrote his first successful play, 1992's I Know I've Been Changed, staged in his hometown of Atlanta. He went on to write 11 more plays, converting many of them into touring productions and some into hugely profitable films. But Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion may be the comedy that brought him the greatest notoriety -- featuring Perry as his most popular character, Madea, an eccentric matron who's partly based on his mother. He's also behind two TBS series: The network's No. 1 sitcom, Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns (based on his 2008 hit movie) and Tyler Perry's House of Payne (heading into its seventh season).
Perry just announced the cast for his next movie, which begins filming in New York in June; For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf will feature Phylicia Rashad, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg.
Hopefully, Winfrey continues offering more tips on what Perry should do with his income (aside from buying more cars for Oprah and Gayle King). Without question, there's a lot more coming his way.
PLUS: Tyler Perry's Controversial New Project
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