Cape Town – Billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry has ruled out marriage, saying he has seen divorce leave people who were once financially successful broke.
Perry made the comments during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, where he was asked whether he would ever get married.
His answer was brief.
“Nope,” Perry said.
Explaining his decision, the 57-year-old filmmaker said he was not opposed to marriage itself but was concerned about what could happen if it ended in divorce.
“I’m never getting married, and it’s actually because of divorce. Everyone I know who was doing well went broke because of divorce.” — Tyler Perrypic.twitter.com/lDhRiLYLth
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) September 14, 2026
“It’s not the marriage that bothers me. It’s the divorce,” he said. “Everybody that I know that did well and went broke, it was because of a divorce. So I’m good just being free.”
Perry’s comments come as his wealth and business empire remain closely tied to his ownership of his creative work. Forbes values his fortune at about $1.4 billion, according to the latest report.
The filmmaker’s stance is particularly notable given how prominently marriage and relationships feature in his work. He wrote and directed Why Did I Get Married? in 2007 and Why Did I Get Married Too? in 2010, with the latest instalment, Why Did I Get Married Again? now streaming on Netflix.
According to Billionaires Africa, beyond his films, Perry has built his fortune around controlling his intellectual property and production business. He owns Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and has retained ownership of much of his film, television and stage catalogue.
Tyler Perry arriving to The Jennifer Hudson Show set. pic.twitter.com/it1uJUZ0U5
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 14, 2026
Perry has previously spoken about the importance of retaining ownership of his work rather than giving away rights in exchange for upfront fees.
His rise to billionaire status followed years of financial struggle. Before establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, Perry was homeless and spent years staging plays to small audiences before eventually breaking through.
Perry, who celebrated his 57th birthday on September 13, has also recently said he plans to scale back his workload and spend more time with his 11-year-old son, Aman. He is planning to move to Puerto Rico in early 2027.
For Perry, it appears marriage is one commitment he has no plans to add to an already tightly controlled personal and business life.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
