Vault: Tyler Perry Joins The Show

Summary

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The Bert Show — Vault: Tyler Perry Joins The Show

Date: February 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth and entertaining conversation with Tyler Perry, renowned filmmaker, playwright, and actor. The Bert Show crew (Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and others) talk with Perry about the complexities of relationships, his creative process, the inspiration behind his latest projects, and his personal journey from homelessness to success. The tone is candid, witty, and warm, bringing listeners behind the scenes of Perry’s life and work.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Men, Women, and Communication in Relationships

[01:32 – 02:14]

• The hosts discuss the common communication gaps between men and women, prompting Tyler Perry to share his own experience.
  • Tyler Perry: “Are you kidding me? ... Men and women communicate on two different paths.” [01:48]
• Tyler reveals his current relationship with a woman from another country, highlighting cultural and scheduling challenges.

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2. Keeping Relationships Private

[02:20 – 03:26]

• Perry explains his decision to keep personal relationships out of the public eye, drawing lessons from past experiences and the pitfalls of celebrity relationships.
  • Tyler Perry: “If you want your relationship to work, you have to, you must keep it out of the public.” [02:52]
• He discusses learning to protect his personal life from media scrutiny and emphasizes privacy as key to discovering genuine connection.

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3. Inspiration from Personal Experience

[03:39 – 04:09]

• The hosts ask if Perry’s own relationships inspire his stories.
  • Tyler Perry: “Are you kidding me? I took everything I knew from my— I had a really bad relationship and I wrote everything in Why Did I Get Married?” [03:46]
• Perry stresses the relatability of his work, especially when dealing with complex relationship themes.

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4. Boundaries in Storytelling: Avoiding Sex Scenes

[04:14 – 05:14]

• Perry outlines personal boundaries, especially his decision to avoid sex in his relationship narratives.
  • Tyler Perry: “I've never gotten into sex in relationships because...sex always clouds everything.” [04:14]
  • He suggests that sex can obscure the true nature of a relationship, advising people to abstain in order to assess the real foundation.
  • Memorable advice: "Stop having sex and see what you really have with a person. That'll tell you." [04:36]

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5. Making Movies and Creative Catharsis

[05:51 – 07:40]

• Perry relates his personal hardship, from homelessness to creative and financial success.
  • Tyler Perry: “I really want people to know that life gets better. Life get. No matter what you’re going through, life gets better.” [06:02]
• Discusses his upcoming film, The Family That Preys, and how it was inspired by both personal struggles and catharsis during difficult times.
  • Inspiration drawn from the Leanne Womack song “I Hope You Dance” — encouraging listeners to live every day fully.
  • Tyler Perry: "Life is short. Live every day like it's your last...if we live every day as if it's our last." [06:38]

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6. Working with Big Names & Behind-the-Scenes Stories

[07:40 – 08:23]

• Describes the filming process with actors like Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard, with a humorous anecdote about directing Kathy Bates referencing her “Misery” role.
  • Tyler Perry: “[Kathy Bates] gave me that look, like you remember when she was in ‘Misery’... Man, I— but that was a process, you know?” [07:48]

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7. Building a Film Studio and Community Engagement

[08:27 – 10:23]

• A listener, Kenya, calls in to ask about auditions at his new studio in Greenbrier.
  • Perry provides insight into his casting process, highlighting Alpha Tyler, his casting director, and emphasizes his commitment to discovering new talent:
    • “We always need fresh people. I’m always looking for new talent.” [08:57]
• Shares a touching story of community support in the new neighborhood, contrasting it with past complaints at his old location:
  • “There’s a woman outside, man, cleaning up outside...she was cleaning up trash that people would throw out of their cars.” [10:11]

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8. Upcoming Projects & Personal Milestones

[10:23 – 11:01]

• Excitement for The Family That Preys release, coinciding with Perry’s upcoming 39th birthday.
  • Tyler Perry: "This is my birthday weekend. I'll be 39. So that's a good gift for me if you guys go out and see the movie." [10:27]
• Light-hearted banter about schedules and celebrity life, culminating in Perry joking about attending a Janet Jackson concert:
  • Tyler Perry: “And getting tickets to Janet’s concert on the 4th of October. Yeah, you know, doing all that stuff. Absolutely.” [10:49]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Communication:

  "Men and women communicate on two different paths." — Tyler Perry [01:48]

• On Privacy and Relationships:

  "If you want your relationship to work, you have to, you must keep it out of the public." — Tyler Perry [02:52]

• On Foundation in Relationships:

  "Stop having sex and see what you really have with a person. That’ll tell you." — Tyler Perry [04:36]

• On Overcoming Hardship:

  "No matter what you're going through, life gets better." — Tyler Perry [06:02]

• On Living Fully:

  "Life is short. Live every day like it’s your last." — Tyler Perry [06:38]

• Comedic Moment:

  “[Kathy Bates] gave me that look, like you remember when she was in ‘Misery’...” — Tyler Perry [07:48]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:32: Tyler Perry joins the conversation, relationship communication
• 02:20: Discussing keeping relationships private
• 03:46: Personal relationships inspiring screenwriting
• 04:14: Why Perry avoids sex topics in films
• 05:51: Perry’s journey from homelessness to success, inspiration for new film
• 06:38: Inspirational messages drawn from his own experiences
• 07:48: Directing Kathy Bates, “Misery” anecdote
• 08:27: Listener Kenya calls in, discussion about auditions/casting
• 10:27: The Family That Preys release and Perry’s birthday
• 10:49: Light-hearted end: concerts, celebrity life

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Conclusion

This episode reveals Tyler Perry’s thoughtful approach to relationships, storytelling, and the entertainment industry. Blending humor, real-life lessons, and motivation, Perry’s candidness offers encouragement and insight for listeners while demystifying his creative process and public persona. The hosts’ camaraderie with Perry keeps the episode lively, authentic, and full of memorable moments—making it a standout installment in The Bert Show’s archive.

Transcript

[Radio Host]

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[Radio Host 2]

understands the miscommunication between men and women, it would be Tyler Perry.

[Radio Host 3]

That is true.

[Radio Host 2]

Movie after movie after movie. Tyler, you got to help us with this here. Do you see this from time to time too with men and women where they are just in completely different universes when it comes to relationships?

[Tyler Perry]

Are you kidding me? I've been going through that lately. I've just been. You know the girl that I've been seeing for the last year or so, she's very busy too. So it's her whole thing is we have the worst communication when it comes to certain things and times and dates and because she's so busy and because she's from another country, I just think am I communicating the way right with her? You know, so I know we communicated on two different paths. Men and women communicate on two different paths.

[Radio Host 2]

How often? Cuz I don't think that I've heard you talk about this before. How often are you seeing her and how long have you guys been going out?

[Tyler Perry]

It's been about a year and I don't talk about it because everybody, you know, man, I hate the blogs. I hate the stuff that people say about it. When I was, when I was dating Tyra about a year and a half ago, there was so much stuff going around, I just decided, and Tyra taught me this, she's like, tyler, you just really need to keep your personal relationships out of the, out of the air, off the air. So I've never talked about it.

[Radio Host 2]

Do you feel it's almost like one of those things though, if you don't talk about it a little bit, that it becomes like the elephant in the room? Like everybody wants to talk to you about it and if you were just come clean then everybody would just shut up and leave you alone.

[Tyler Perry]

No, because if you want your relationship to work, you have to, you must keep it out of the public. Like I look at people like Brad and Angelina and Madonna and Guy Ritchie and you know those people. And then you look at people like Paris and every relationship and Lindsey, they're all in the press every day. That's really difficult, especially when you're just getting to know a person. So I think if you try to keep it private for at least a year before you go public, then you know, if you two really like each other. So as soon as I get ready to talk about it, I will. But right now, now we're in the stages of still getting to know each other.

[Radio Host 2]

Is this an agreement that you like verbally made with her? You said, look, this is not gonna be public. You and I don't even worry about paparazzi or anything like that. Cuz I'm not talking about it publicly.

[Tyler Perry]

Certainly, certainly. Yeah. And the same with her.

[Radio Host 3]

I'm curious how much of your relationship, if it's with her or past relationships, do you incorporate in your stories every bit of them?

[Tyler Perry]

Are you kidding me? I took everything I knew from my. I had a really bad relationship and I wrote everything in why did I get Married? You know, and I think that's why. So people can relate to why did I get married. Because it's the kind of movie that it really deals with relationships. As a matter of fact, the lady who was just talking about the who this guy saying maybe she should see why did I get married? Cuz it's self affirming, you know, it helps you to get over things.

[Radio Host 2]

Right? Are there any topics in relationships that you absolutely will not touch?

[Tyler Perry]

You know what I have, I've never talked About. I've never gotten into sex in relationships because I just think that there are enough people talking about it and doing it. And, you know, in movies and film, I just. I don't have an opinion on that one way or another. So I'll just talk about the heart of it, the relationship. Because I think sex always clouds everything. And I tell my friends all the time, you know, it's like, yeah, I'm really having issues with this girl. So you still having sex? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have sex. Stop having sex and see what you really have with a person. That'll tell you. That'll really tell you.

[Radio Host 2]

Your suggestion, your advice is to stop having sex with the guy to find out what the relationship is all about.

[Tyler Perry]

Yeah, because they met. He met this girl and they started having. From the first day he met her, they've been having sex. And they were in this relationship for a year, and it was all about the sex. And they would have all these arguments outside of sex. So I said, stop having sex with her and get to know the woman and see what happens. The minute he stopped, they broke up.

[Radio Host 3]

Really?

[Tyler Perry]

Yeah.

[Radio Host 3]

Because they didn't have a good foundation in their relationship.

[Tyler Perry]

Yeah, that's what I mean. And, you know, you gotta have a foundation in relationship. Everything can't be sex. Everything. There's gotta be a foundation. But we gotta talk about the family appraised.

[Radio Host]

Yeah, we do.

[Radio Host 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's do that. Why don't we get so caught up in talking to you? Because it's so infrequent that we get to hang out with you.

[Tyler Perry]

Too bad I'm in New York. I'd be sitting there with you guys.

[Radio Host 2]

We'd love it.

[Radio Host 4]

Well, we always try to get you in, but every time I make a phone call or something, you've got something else going on. Like, TBS has just ordered 30,000 more episodes or something. Or you got a new movie coming

[Radio Host 2]

out or an ice show, I think, in a board game. Coming out.

[Tyler Perry]

Yeah.

[Radio Host 4]

Tyler Perry's Ice Capade.

[Tyler Perry]

Don't you love it? Don't you love it? Tyler Perry does Xanadu.

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[Radio Host 2]

That's a beautiful thing about Tyler Perry's background is, you know, he goes from living outside of a car to, I don't have time anymore. I got my hands on too many things. Which is such an awesome part of your story, man.

[Tyler Perry]

It's really great. I was in the USA Today yesterday, and I had them come with me to my old apartment over at 4725th Street. They're getting ready to tear the building down. It was the apartment I moved in after being homeless. And it was a really inspirational story that a lot of people who read it, they really got an insight to what I've been through. And, you know, the reason I share this, all of this stuff, is because I really want people to know that life gets better. Life get. No matter what you're going through, life gets better. And it's my hope that as people see my work and that they see what I've been through, that they can feel like they can do better.

[Radio Host 2]

Is this touched upon in the family that prays also?

[Tyler Perry]

You know, I wrote this. I wasn't enjoying my life. About the last time I was there with you guys. I had started going through all of this stuff with the naysayers and the negativity, and it was really bothering me. So what I decided to do was what I always do for my catharsis. I took it to pen and paper. So I was listening to Leanne Womack. Yes. I listened to country music. She was singing I hope you dance. And I was like, wow, this is so beautiful for life. It's just like life is short. Live every day like it's your last. And here we are. I don't think it's a coincidence that this movie is coming out around this somber time in our country, you know, at the anniversary, seventh anniversary of 9 11. Life is so short. And I think we can do a service to everybody in our lives or everybody who has passed on, if we live every day as if it's our last. And Kathy Bates is in this movie, and Alfred Woodard, and they're matriarchs who are trying to live the best life they can while their kids are preying on each other. So that's what prey P R E Y comes from. But it's really a great movie, and everybody who's seen it, they absolutely love it.

[Radio Host 2]

Tyler, is this one of these movies where you just started writing it and it just. It just sort of came right out of you so easily? Or did you struggle with this one?

[Tyler Perry]

No, no, no. This one really, really flowed. I mean, for the most part, most of them, they stay in my head for months. So when I sit down to write them, they usually come out without any toiling. But this one was really, really, really, really easy. Really, really great. And I'm telling you, I gotta tell you this. I was directing Kathy in a scene, and, you know, she was doing something that I wanted to go in a different direction. And she gave me that look like you remember when she was in Misery? When she put the block in between the hobbling. Yeah, Hobbling at his ankles. Man, I. But that was a process, you know? So it's really great. It was really great.

[Radio Host 2]

Kenya has a question for you. Kenya, you're on with Tyler Perry. Go ahead.

[Caller Kenya]

Oh, hi. I'm sorry. I'm a geek. I want to know. Well, thank you. And, yeah, thank you. You're great.

[Radio Host 2]

You're handling this very well, Kenny.

[Tyler Perry]

Yeah, thank you. I know. I'm sorry.

[Radio Host 4]

A lot of words, not a lot being said.

[Tyler Perry]

I know.

[Caller Kenya]

Okay. The studio that you're building over in Greenbrier, I wanted to know if you'll be holding auditions there and where do you post your. Because I desperately want to be a part of whatever it is you're doing anytime you ever do it.

[Tyler Perry]

My casting director, her name is Alpha Tyler. At Alpha Tyler, no relation, but Alpha Tyler is her name. And I'm not quite sure of her email, and nobody's here to give it to me, but she handles all of our submissions. She handles all of our auditions. We post a lot of them when we're holding them because we always need fresh people. I'm always looking for new talent. If you look at House of Pain, which is going into syndication next week, by the way, congratulations. Yeah. If you look at House of Pain, you see that they're all new faces. So I'm always looking for new people. And I'm really, really happy to be over near Greenbrier. And I tell you why. I've been over in Inman park area with my old studio, and I got more complaints. I got complaints every day. The air conditioner was too loud. This place has been a studio for 15 years. When I move in, all hell breaks loose. I mean, the neighbors have been giving me pure hell. So I was thinking, man, what is this? So I move over to the south. South side of town, and I come there on Sunday, and there's a woman outside, man, cleaning up outside of the yard. I go. I'm like, what do you want? Do you need a job or something? She's like, no, I just jogged back past here. I live down the street, and you're doing such a beautiful job, and we're so glad to have you in the neighborhood. She was cleaning up trash that people would throw out of their cars. Wow.

[Radio Host 3]

Sweet.

[Tyler Perry]

How great was that?

[Radio Host 2]

That must have been, like, a sign to you. Like, I did the right thing. I moved in the right place.

[Tyler Perry]

I totally did the right thing. And it's really great being over there because we've got enough space to do whatever we want to do and have a great time.

[Radio Host 2]

Good for you, man. The family that prays. It opens when. Tyler.

[Tyler Perry]

This is my birthday weekend. I'll be 39. So that's a good gift for me if you guys go out and see the movie. Thank you.

[Radio Host 2]

Hey, the next time you're in Atlanta, you know we always love to have you in studio, so if you got the time, we're here for you.

[Radio Host 4]

Well, the next time you're in Atlanta, not churning out two TV shows a day and making a movie and writing another movie and casting for another movie,

[Radio Host 3]

well, he's always going to be doing something like that, right?

[Tyler Perry]

And getting tickets to Janet's concert on the 4th of October. Yeah, you know, doing all that stuff. Absolutely.

[Radio Host 2]

I'll be there, too, but I have a feeling my seats will be probably right behind yours. And you're such a big man and I'm such a small man, I won't be able to see that stage.

[Tyler Perry]

That's okay. You can always get on my show.

[Radio Host 4]

It'll be like the angel and the devil.

[Tyler Perry]

You're so small.

[Radio Host 2]

Hey, Tyler, good luck with everything. We'll talk to you next time you're in Atlanta, man.

[Tyler Perry]

See you guys later.

[Radio Host 2]

Bye. Tyler Perry. Hanging out on the birth show.

[Radio Host]

Get it? The bird show.

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