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Home · Celebrity

Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios

Everyone was there: Oprah Winfrey, Cicely Tyson, Ava DuVernay, Patti LaBelle, ESSENCE.
By Joi-Marie McKenzie · Updated December 6, 2020

The stars were out Saturday when Tyler Perry invited hundreds of A-list celebrities to celebrate the grand opening of his studios in Atlanta. The director, screenwriter, producer and playwright made history as the only Black man to own a major movie studio in the U.S.

Perry invited many of his frequent collaborators to his fete, which took place on the 330-acre lot, including Oprah Winfrey, Cecily Tyson, Taraji P. Henson, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

Other Hollywood heavyweights came, including Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, Beyoncé, Jay Z and Halle Berry, along with politicos such as John Lewis, Bernice King and Stacey Abrams.

Back in June, Perry explained during his BET Awards acceptance speech that “when I built my studio, [it was in the] poorest Black neighborhood in Atlanta so the kids can see that a Black man did that and they can too.”

“The studio was once a confederate army base,” he said of the land, known as Fort McPherson, which was previously used as a Confederate Army base during Civil War, when the south fought to keep Black people enslaved.

According to his website, Perry purchased the land in June 2015, which now holds 12 sound stages for movie productions. He dedicated each soundstage to a Black person who’s made strides in Hollywood, including the late Diahann Carroll.

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Tyler Perry
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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Cicley Tyson
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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Halle Berry
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Jenifer Lewis
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Kelly Rowland
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Michelle Williams
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Patti LaBelle
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
09
Tamron Hall
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Sheryl Lee Ralph
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Tyrese
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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Keshia Knight Pulliam
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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T. D. Jakes
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Ava DuVernay
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Storm Reid
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
16
Jazmine Sullivan
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Loretta Devine
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
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Tamera Mowry-Housley
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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Jill Scott
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
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Tiffany Haddish
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images
21
Gladys Knight
Black Excellence Celebrated The Grand Opening Of Tyler Perry Studios
TOPICS:  celebrity Danielle Young Entertainment Essence News oprah Oprah Winfrey red carpet Tyler Perry tyler perry studios
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