SUPPORTER OF THE “HOUSE OF PAYNE UNJUSTLY FIRED FOUR”

Tyler Perry, with all his millions, can afford to treat his writing staff like any other comedy writing staff in our industry. The fact that he, a writer himself, has chosen to screw over not just his writers but the folks who helped make “House of Payne” a success says more about not just him but also reveals a sort latent, maybe even subconscious, self-hatred that he has for his own (i.e., other writers). I have always found it interesting that his show is SAG and DGA but not WGA. He knows that no matter how rich he claims he is, Allan Payne and some of the other more notable actors would not appear on that show if it wasn’t SAG. Even when he appears on the show, he gets SAG wages, pension etc. I also find it extremely interesting that he doesn’t write any of the episodes but directs all of them and, of course, the show is DGA, which means Tyler Perry receives a DGA rate for directing plus all the goodies (pension, health and welfare) that come with it.

It’s amazing how a brother can start off doing so much good and wanting to make so many positive changes in our industry (and let’s give the man his due, he has done a lot in a relatively short period of time), yet fall prey to the same draconian mentality when it comes to his own folks that other “Black media entrepreneurs” like Bob Johnson have done. I mean, we will now be talking about Tyler Perry in the same breath as Bob Johnson — a guy who made a billion dollars but who had an image problem inside and outside of the Black and entertainment community. People do not hold him up in anywhere near the same light as an Oprah Winfrey. He’s not even in Oprah’s shadow’s shadow. Yet they both have reaped billions through the media. Oprah, for all her success and riches, is almost always viewed as cl*****y. You NEVER hear about any unions *****ing about not being treated right by her Harpo. Why should they? Everybody knows there is more than enough money to go around. With BET, I know people who worked there whose checks used to bounce. And this was after the company had been around 10, 15 years. The programming, for the most part, seemed to cater to the lowest-common denominator (booty videos and gyrating hos). And when they finally (after God knows how long) did find a signature show in “Comic View”, what did BET do? It did not want to pay the comics SAG/AFTRA rates so it moved its operations to Atlanta (Hmmm… sound familiar?) and produced the show there. The comics, I was told, had to fly themselves in, put themselves up in hotels and buy their own food. They didn’t get paid when the show reran and got nothing on the DVD sales. It was a travesty. A lot of comics either refused to do the show out of protest or did it out of desperation, which is what I believe BET was banking on. Did Bob Johnson give a rat’s ***** that these comedians were being exploited? Uh… HELL NO! He had his billions.

Well, Tyler Perry is acting the same way. He seems to be saying, whether he realizes it or not, that having millions of dollars makes him better than the next man; makes him impervious to rules and doing what is right; and permits him to ***** over other Black professionals who are just trying to get what their White counterparts are getting that this so-called “emerging billionaire’s” company is more than capable of paying. It’s just a bunch of “***** mess,” as my mom used to say. And all this man ever talks about when he’s not dressed up like a fat gun-toting Black woman is Jesus and the Lord. Would God approve of what Tyler Perry just did to his writing staff? Or would God say, “But Tyler, I’ve made you so rich. Don’t you think you should share the wealth accordingly?” Tyler Perry may not realize it, but his actions say that he worships the Almighty Dollar more than his God. Because, again, he can’t cry broke. He can’t cry poor. There is no reason why he can’t do what is right and fair because that is what God, what his Bible would instruct him to do if he still adhered to it. He still talks that talk, but he has clearly stopped walking it.

Maybe he will just write all of the episodes himself, direct them and then play all of the characters. After all, he’s Tyler Perry! He can do anything! Who needs writers! Everybody knows scripts write themselves!

The biggest crime that will come out of this is that the Black press, I believe, will not go after him for what he is doing. There will be a general feeling of “let’s not bring this successful Black man down.” You know how we do. A brother could be running over children, but let him be successful, rich or famous and watch the Black collective make excuses for his bad behavior and try and justify it. Our so-called “Black leaders” will be silent because they want to make sure they get invited to the yacht parties and other fun stuff rich and famous Black folks like Tyler do. Did you ever see our so-called “Black leaders” go after Bob Johnson during his 25-year reign of terror on the Black community? Of course not. You think Oprah will check her boy Tyler for screwing over his writing staff? Uh, I doubt it. Black folks, we need to stop giving a p***** to Black entrepreneurs who use their power to bully and mistreat other Blacks in business. We need to stop making excuses for their wickedness and call them on it to keep them honest because we all know that if Bob Johnson was a White man BET would’ve either had to clean up it’s act way back in the 80s or it would’ve been shut down. And you also know that if Tyler Perry was a White guy, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would be picketing outside his mansion at this very moment, trying to get him to “do right by the brothers.”

I wish I was in Atlanta. If I was, I would be picketing right alongside Teri Brown-Jackson, Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore and Lamont Ferrell. I happen to know them all personally and they are all good people. They did not deserve to be treated like garbage and put out on the street for pick up just because they stood up for themselves after two years; stood up for something Tyler and his minion of mostly Yes Men at his company know is fundamentally right. How they justify screwing over writers (“Because we can!” they are probably saying) escapes me. It’s mean-spirited, un-Christian, anti-Black, and just *****ing gangsta. It’s not right. And the people at Tyler Perry Studios know it’s not right, but they’ve been allowed to get away with it for 126 episodes, they’ve gotten comfortable/used to viewing writers as disposable (of course, they all see themselves as “indispensable”). But the people who have helped give TP Studios value are summarily dismissed. Tyler’s people who are signifying as he makes bad decisions such as this should keep in mind that if he could ***** over these guys, guess what? He can, and probably will, someday ***** over them too. So if I’m in the TP Braintrust, I’m watching my back for the elusive but very real TP Shank. Again, and I mean this, IF TYLER PERRY WAS WHITE HE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS. HE WOULD GET CALLED OUT ON HIS BULL*****. WELL, I AM CALLING TYLER PERRY OUT RIGHT NOW.

I don’t care if Tyler Perry reads this and I don’t care if he never hires me or wants to work with me. I had a career in this business long before he did and Tyler Perry has never paid any of my bills. I continue to thrive in the industry without what he has to offer. And even though we don’t know each other and have never met, I have never wished him ill. I have always sung his praises and told others to support him. I also recently saw my first Tyler Perry anything when I caught “A Family That Preys,” which I actually enjoyed. But those days are over. So long as Tyler Perry disrespects and devalues writers by not paying a fair wage, I will NEVER support any of his creative endeavors again. I will also tell everyone I know not to support him. If enough people take a stand against Black-On-Black (Brothers-Exploiting-Brothers) Crime, it will stop being profitable for the perpetrators. I know Tyler Perry doesn’t care if I support him or not, but if enough people like me say “enough!” he will have to care because he won’t have an audience to support his films and TV shows.

You cannot screw people over and expect to get blessed, Tyler. Don’t work that way. You know that. And you have been EXTREMELY blessed. Maybe you have gotten so big for your britches because of all of your success that, brother; you are out of touch more so than you think. It can happen to anybody and now it appears it is happening to you; you who s*****ed on the scene from such meager and humble beginnings. I have seen the family that preys. And it wasn’t on the big screen at the ArchLight. It is happening in Atlanta, at your studio where you are supposed to be trying to empower and build Black folk in this business not oversee and punish them for being talented, Black and in need.

No matter who you are, what you drive, where you live or how much money you got in the bank, *****ody is on top forever. What goes up must dome down. Just ask Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, *****nio Hall, M.C. Hammer, Red Foxx, and Bill Cosby. What goes up must eventually come down. A universal law. That being said, unjustifiable and vile actions like what Tyler Perry allowed to happen to his loyal writing staff (a staff he had already pimped out for 126 episodes) leads me to believe that Tyler Perry is sewing the seeds of his demise. So stay tuned.

Mike Ajakwe Jr.

Supporter of the “House of Payne Unjustly Fired Four”

Teri Brown-Jackson

Kellie Griffin

Christopher Moore

Lamont Ferrell

all money ain’t good money…

- Duh promised land!

- Baltimo’?

PS

I don’t watch them bull***** ***** Medea movies!

If you’re trying to say it’s the mammie character that offends you, then, first of all, you don’t know much about Black American culture. Matriarchs have been the foundation of our families for centuries; this is an extension of our African heritage. Because he makes his version comedic doesn’t mean it’s stereotypical or offensive.

Secondly, half of Perry’s movies hardly even deal with Madea– Daddy’s Little Girls: a single black working cl***** father trying to find love and raise his children, Why Did I Get Married: a group of successful, educated black couples who are dealing with the pressures of marriage and find ways to heal their relationships or themselves, The Family that Preys: *****esses how money can lead to corruption and greed. Even the ones WITH Madea all centered on spirituality and promoting strong family bonds. Do your homework before you knock the dude.

I was never into the chitlin curcuit, and I do get tired of stereotypical, shuckin and jiving productions, but I cannot call Perry’s films any of these.

I’m so glad this is in my city (ATL!!). Blessings to you my brotha! This is an historic event, and if you think you can do better, let this inspire you to do more.

–HE MAKES DAMN NEAR A BILLIONAIRE SALARY…***** HE CAN AFFORD A DECENT LOOKIN’ BEARD ON HIS ARM