Tyler Perry's Net Worth in 2023 Revealed

If you had asked Tyler Perry if dressing up as his beloved Madea character would put him at the level of Oprah Winfrey, he probably would've said no. Despite some criticism about his work and the tropes some say his characters and storyline represent for the Black community, no other filmmaker has had continued success like Perry. Forbes listed Perry, a once-homeless and struggling playwright, as a billionaire in a 2020 report. His status as a billionaire still stands in 2023. Unlike other filmmakers, Perry's wealth comes from owning all of his work in film, television, theater, and even a film studio. He also writes and directs his work. But his billionaire status wouldn't be possible without the way he leveraged his early distribution deal with Lionsgate. And a new Amazon Prime documentary, Maxine's Baby, examines Perry's journey from humble beginnings in Louisiana to a deal maker in Hollywood.

"He would put up half the money, collect half the profits, and keep control of the content," the report reads. "The studio held the right to deduct all marketing costs from his cut, which Perry knew would be minimal, considering his following, as well as another 12.5% in distribution costs. The sweetener: Perry would eventually own it all outright."

At the time of the report, Perry had 14 films released. Forbes estimated that Perry earned $670 million at the box office, netting him about $290 million in fees and profits. That dollar amount does not include Perry's multi-million dollar deals with OWN, BET+, and TBS. He's since added over dozen more projects.

Actor Michael Jai White has starred in several Tyler Perry productions. As someone who has worked closely with him, he understands how Perry has amassed such success He explained such in an interview with Vlad TV. In the interview, White describes Perry as "the hardest working man" he knows.

"I'm not surprised [at Perry's billionaire status]," White says. "Tyler was a builder and he's one of those people that's multidimensional. There's planning stages – [the idea] of waste not, want not. Knowing him early on, I've seen him put the building blocks together and he's taken that talent as a builder and just expanded it."