Keke Palmer is going to bat for Tyler Perry after the billionaire movie mogul faced backlash over his reaction to critiques of his latest film Divorce in The Black.
Earlier this week, Tyler Perry went viral following his appearance on the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast.
“A large portion of my fans are disenfranchised, who cannot get in the Volvo and go to therapy on the weekend,” Perry said on the podcast. “You’ve got this highbrow negro who is all up in the air with his nose up looking at everything.”
Perry urged, “Don’t discount these people and say their stories don’t matter. Who are you to be able to say which Black story is important, or should be told? Get out of here with that b#######.”
Tyler Perry responds to critics saying his movies have the same “black woman in distress” storyline, in a recent interview with Keke Palmer. pic.twitter.com/YvhHoTRVXk
— The Info Spot (@TheInfoSpot) July 24, 2024
However, after Perry faced backlash over his remarks, Keke Palmer took to X (Twitter) to defend him.
“The enemy isn’t Tyler it’s the system that makes it hard for multiple black artist to shine at one time,” Palmer responded to one critic. “Tyler is not the gatekeeper of all black stories he’s just one creative who broke through the system. Advocating for others to do the same is the fight, not hating Tyler for his work that many do love.”
The enemy isn’t Tyler it’s the system that makes it hard for multiple black artist to shine at one time. Oppression turns you against the person that gets the shine opposed to questioning why there can only be so few at a time.
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 25, 2024
Tyler is not the gatekeeper of all black stories… https://t.co/Duj5k8GDmN
Another user said that Perry refuses to hire writers and releases “the same misogynoiristic b####### movies,” which makes him part of the system.
Palmer pushed back, claiming that Perry “found a way to work in the system.” She also noted the filmmaker “employed a lot of black people, including writers.”
She added, “Not just in front of the camera but behind. His set was the first set I ever saw a black crew, so that gets my respect. You don’t have to love his movies though, I just don’t blame his movies for oppression.”
I believe he’s definitely found a way to work in the system and he’s employed a lot of black people, including writers which we speak about in the interview. So, not just in front of the camera but behind. His set was the first set I ever saw a black crew, so that gets my… https://t.co/6V3HeY2J3z
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 25, 2024
When her interlocutor claimed Perry has an “audience that’ll always watch, regardless of quality,” Palmer continued her defense. She insisted the prolific creator has switched things up. Check out her posts below.
I think he was trying to build an infrastructure and thought doing it all at first was the easiest way especially because he likes paying people what they deserve. Now he has hired a lot of writers and is solely paying and distributing a lot of other writers and directors works.… https://t.co/GgCf5pAxS1
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 25, 2024
I think it’s less about changing Tyler and more about uplifting and popularizing other work that we love. There is Issa Rae, Tracy Oliver, Justin Simien, Jordan Peele, Jeremy O’Harris, Janicza Bravo, Nia DaCosta etc. He’s not the only black creator creating and they all deserve… https://t.co/9ggfRXGHVP
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 25, 2024
And honestly it’s up to us to show up in the theaters and show out. We can’t be mad when the projects we don’t prefer become a hit if we do not show up and show out for our faves ya know. https://t.co/JBizCgqc2v
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) July 25, 2024