Tyler Perry is a mensch. Granted, many of us knew that already, but the way he supported and helped the Duke and Duchess of Sussex really moves me, still, to this day. While Tyler had never met Harry and Meghan prior to 2020, he sent Meghan a letter in 2018, around the Sussexes’ wedding. Tyler basically told her that he supported her and if she ever needed anything, don’t hesitate to call. When the Sussexes were in Canada in March 2020 and trying to figure out their next moves after their Sussexit, Meghan called Tyler:
Meghan: “One day when we were in Canada, I called him. I was just a wreck, I was just crying and crying. Sometimes it’s easier to just open up to someone who knows nothing at all. That was that moment with me and Tyler.”
Tyler: “I could hear the fear. It was palpable. I asked her what she was afraid of and she took a deep breath and she started listing all of the things ‘I’m afraid of.’ I just told her that every one of her fears were valid. The most I knew about the royal family was around Princess Diana’s death… I realized that after the marriage ended, she was thrown to the wolves. So to tell Meghan that her feeling were valid hurt. I didn’t want to say that to her. I didn’t want her to feel that. But I didn’t want to lie to her.”
He was right. He was right to not sugarcoat it or play it off like she was crazy – Meghan understood the threat and Harry did too. This was at the moment where they knew they would only have security for a few more weeks and photographers were surrounding their rented Canadian home. Tyler sent his plane for them, he put them up in his LA mansion. Meghan was trying to make it sound like it was just going to be temporary, like they would only need to be there a week. Tyler said no, you’ll be staying for a while, you should stay until you work out your next moves. It moved me to tears – the generosity, the heroism of that, to protect this family after Harry’s family had fed them to the wolves.
Perry also spoke about his own mother, who was abused, and how he recognized that the same thing was fundamentally happening to Harry and Meghan:
“She was afraid of them destroying her or going crazy or them making her think she was crazy. I saw my mother be abused for years. I knew the symptoms, I knew what it was like. Everyone’s like, ‘Tyler, how dare you compare this to the abuse of your mother?’ This woman was abused and so was he.
“To use the institution to try and do all the things a batterer would do, like, here’s what we’re gonna do, ‘we’re gonna cut off the money; we’re not gonna leave you security; we’re gonna do all those things to make you comply and come back’. And for the both of them to have the wherewithal to say ‘I don’t give a damn if it’s the palace. I’m outta here,’ I applauded that.”
Tyler Perry is exactly right, and I’m glad he points out that the Windsors acted as the abusive ex, punishing their victims for leaving, cutting off their security, and trying to financially abuse them. I’ve long believed that the Windsors told Harry to sink or swim, believing that he would either drown or come crawling back. They’ve been thrown for a loop this whole time that other people stepped in to help the Sussexes and help them land on their feet.
Oh, and Tyler is Lilibet Diana’s godfather!!!!
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
That. Is. Incredible. What he did for them. That’s all I have. Wow.
Just amazing, the kindness of strangers at every level. I can only imagine how lonely at the top of the mountain, being everywhere and wanting to be nowhere…the way that Harry and Meghan must’ve felt for her to pick up the phone to make that call.
I can’t wait to watch the last 3 episodes, but wow, Tyler Perry is a true mensch. what a generous and supportive person – we should all be so lucky to have someone like him in our lives
You are gonna lose it. Just so happened not to be able to sleep and was up at 3am, so watched the whole thing. He was truly amazing in their lives and they know it. He’ll be a part of their lives forever.
African-Americans recognize this crap a mile away.
Right. I have no words. He is just an amazing human.
We might possibly finally be witnessing a major shift to the beginning of the DOWNFALL of the Windsors, I hope this momentum keeps up and they at the bare minimum destroy each other.
…and is where I lost it. Literally burst into tears. To think that Meghan had to turn to someone she had never met, and received more love and support than she ever got from her gaslighting in-laws and their stooges. It’s equal parts devastating and inspiring.
Haven’t watched it yet but I teared up just reading what he said.
God, it is one of the hardest things in the world to turn to others when your family is abusive/ won’t support you. It takes a lot of strength to do that because we’re taught we should handle everything on our own– and we often don’t want to ask for help for fear of judgement. (This goes double for WOC, because we’re supposed to be superwomen 24/7. 🤮) Meghan is amazing, Tyler Perry is straight-up wonderful. For all his accomplishments, this will be one of the greatest things he’ll ever do.
Episode 4 and 5 were really tough. Although, I more or less knew or figured this is how it was like behind the scenes, I still got emotional. Tyler is a godsent.
I can’t wait to watch this. I’m sure I’m going to lose it too.
I can kind of relate to turning to someone you don’t know well for support. It happened to me, within a certain context and community. It had been a drip drip drip of callous behavior from different people and factions for literally years. When something happened that made me snap, I actually went to talk to a religious leader.
No, I’m not in a religious cult or being abused. We are practicing Jews but not Orthodox or even very observant. But I ended up going to the Rabbi of our synagogue because of something that happened with one of my kids. When someone hurts your kid, you go Mother Elephant. I just knew he was a thoroughly kind, gentle man. Someone with wisdom beyond his years. A mensch, like Tyler. He listened to me through my tears and hurt and was SO helpful. I’ll never forget it.
A decade later he suffered a mental breakdown and engaged in behavior that was wildly out of character for him. Something made him snap. He got help and now he’s back. There were some that didn’t want him to come back, but I was not one of them. This man helped me when I was down, and he deserved grace. He’s just a lovely soul, like Tyler.
What an amazing story. I am so so glad Meghan turned to Tyler and got the help she needed.
I was going to try and sneak-watch it while at work, but I’m tearing up just reading this. I don’t need to ugly cry at my desk so I guess I’ll wait until this evening.
Very good to see the truth being spoken at last. It helps all survivors to bring the truth about abuse to the light. So grateful for fellow survivors who speak out against abusers, in solidarity with other survivors.
The Godfather reveal! Weren’t there reports that people in the palace were angry that they didn’t share Archie’s godparents? And here’s Tyler Perry with his full chest like yeah it’s me for Lili. He’s like come at me. Imagine Harry and Meghan want to protect the godparents from the press but Tyler Perry has enough on his own that he won’t fear the press.
Sorry didn’t mean to post here! But agree with you @very about survivors of abuse. Am so glad they’re speaking out.
Agreed. Listening to someone who survived her abuse call it what it was and talk about how it effected her is often harder for people than expressing sympathy after someone doesn’t survive it. So it’s good that they have someone else who has been there for them calling it what it is too.
This really really moved me! Tyler is amazing and it’s great to have him in your corner and have his support. He did them a solid and because of that help they were able to set themselves up and leave that wretched place.
The strategy of the Royal Family was to leave Harry and Meghan so vulnerable without security and finances thay they would go back. That’s not support and for Charles to even say that he did is pathological. Tyler is right Harry and Meghan were abused, Harry for most of life by the family. I’m glad he was there to help them and he has become part of their family. Another thing we finally have confirmation that the story about Harry wanting to have Lili christened in Windsor was fake.
Charles should be particularly ashamed of himself. A stranger had to step in and help his family.
You know it chaps their asses that it was black strangers at that.
Absolutely this. He should be totally ashamed.
All I can say in reference to KC3 is that Hell will be jealous of the place he’s going.
This is in the last episode that I haven’t seen yet! I can’t wait — I need something hopeful and sweet to feel good about. The chosen family Harry and Meghan have created is beautiful to witness. The Windsors are villains. I hope Harry and Meghan can feel better now that they’re free of that pit of vipers.
What an amazing, generous person TP is.
It just goes to show like attracts like (M&H = TP etc. Wails = Beckham aka take blood money, and snake in the grass Knauf).
god this makes me cry. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Tyler Perry movie but I feel like I need to have a marathon this weekend or something. Well maybe over winter break, lol.
Many of us on here have said the relationship between H&M and the royals was toxic and abusive (still is), but its so…cathartic, I guess….to hear someone like Perry just call it out and say it. What would an abuser do if the victim tries to get away? Isolate them, convince them no one likes them, take away their money, make them feel unsafe so that they HAVE to stay with the abuser, etc.
He really did save them.
The tears I shed…Kudos to Tyler Perry. Not only for stepping in when he did like he did, but also for calling things out as they were. Many times an outside voice is needed to confirm our suspicions and he clearly and concisely showed how that relationship with the Windsors was ultimately an abusive one.
Not a fan of movies around the character Madear(sp?) But most have a message. Liked I Can Do Bad All By My Self and Single Mom’s Club and a couple others.
They broke the cycle of abuse, and Tyler Perry helped them. His mom would be proud. Bless him forever!
Tyler Perry – you are truly a wonderful man!!!!
And I totally agree that the Windsor didn’t think the Sussex’s would survive without their ‘protection’ – they proved them wrong. The Sussex’s are NEVER going back into the fold – ever!!!
I am literally in tears. Thank God for Tyler Perry.
Seriously. I can’t believe him he’s so fkn awesome. Of course he’s Lili Dia’s godfather!!!! Finally the universe is gonna make it make sense!! I love how he like, truly cares. You can just tell right. He saved our Meghan. Thank God for you Tyler Perry. 🖖 💕
I loved that he could make the comparisons to Diana. We could all see it but the media chose to ignore it and carried on with their hateful reporting. I actually gasped when he said he didn’t want to go over “there” and be with “them” I didn’t know much about Tyler Perry before this documentary but, I absolutely love him now. He probably saved their lives.
Imagine the desperation you must be feeling, to go from a strong, independent woman of means to calling a complete stranger to ask for help.
Not only asking, but accepting that help!
The Windsors will rot in hell for this!
Oh, come on. The Royals have brought so much grief to so much of the world, but they will rot for this? Meghan and Harry were not destitute, she is friendly with freaking Oprah and Trudeau. She was NOT going to be left on the street no matter what. This reaction is so outsized, come on. Letting someone stay at your mansion and, most likely, a guest house, is hardly the biggest kindness you or anyone else on here have ever seen. For crying out loud, middle class Americans are accepting Ukrainian strangers into their small apartments and homes at a huge financial cost to themselves, but by all means, let’s fawn over manshion-sharing.
^^ Uh, politically, Justin Trudeau put out a statement that he could not fund M&H ‘s security. Plus, his wife, Sophie Trudeau (as mentioned in the doc, had contracted COVID). M&H were under extraordinary circumstances. They had limited time before the borders would close due to the pandemic.
Of course, M&H have many well-to-do friends. Logistically, though, they needed a lot of expensive help immediately. David Foster had secured the Vancouver Island mansion for them. I would imagine they didn’t want to lean on him any further. They couldn’t stay with Meg’s Mom. That would have been a security nightmare. I’m sure Nacho could have helped in some way, but not with everything they needed in such a hurry.
Probably they spoke to a number of close friends for advice. But this was a logistical and financial nightmare they were facing with security at the top of their list of concerns. They probably didn’t have the necessary liquid assets available at that moment. They surely had money to get on a plane, but remember that they were in the middle of a pandemic, and couldn’t go just anywhere. They didn’t have a variety of options available under the COVID circumstances.
Maybe you forget that Harry is a highly visible Prince of the U.K., not a Ukrainian immigrant. That’s a big deal in our global culture — it is what it is. Harry’s and his family’s safety was and is of utmost importance, and they were/ are facing serious threats. Even once they were settled at Tyler’s home in Beverly Hills, they were eventually bombarded by paps.
@Tessa: “For crying out loud, middle class Americans are accepting Ukrainian strangers into their small apartments and homes at a huge financial cost to themselves, but by all means, let’s fawn over manshion-sharing.”
That’s great of middle-class Americans. More of us should do all we can to help others in need around the world. Or, support organizations like World Central Kitchen (which M&H have done, btw, among so many of their charitable affiliations and good works).
There is no equivalency between the level of immediate need and dangerous security threats caused by institutional abuse, which M&H were facing, and the needs of Ukrainian immigrants fleeing their war torn country. It’s rather presumptuous and dismissive to compare these mutually exclusive circumstances.
Moreover, there’s no need to categorize the life-saving enormity and human kindness of what Tyler Perry did for Meghan, Harry, Archie, and their dogs, as mere “mansion-sharing.”
@tessa there needs to be an in-depth study on people like you and your gross lack of empathy
Tessa, how can you not understand that SECURITY was and still is of the utmost importance. Tyler Perry offered them his LA home and his security team and had them picked up in Canada to fly to LA in his plane. It’s people who refuse to use any critical thinking that would liken this to mansion sharing. What Tyler Perry offered them was SAFETY. The only reason they needed it immediately is because it was announced they would not be getting security AND BECAUSE SOMEONE IN THE PALACE LEAKED THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. Tell me that there wasn’t someone who cared whether they were safe or not.
You need to start using your critical thinking skills and not believing what some paid hack is writing in for the tabloid or social media and then having it repeated everywhere. So, what is it that really angers you? The fact that they knew someone who could offer ways to keep them safe? Or, was it the fact that they ended up being safe? You might want to check in with yourself and find out what the answers are.
@Tessa, you must not have seen that interview with Basu last week. They were in danger, and people been prosecuted and gone to jail for threats made against H&M. Ex-counter terror head Basu said “Meghan Markle experienced numerous ‘very serious’ and ‘disgusting’ threats to her life while residing in the United Kingdom” so yeah, no guarantees existed that suggested they were going to be just fine with no help. Why would you even read any article about them if you have so much disdain for them? I’ve never understood people like that.
What an utterly decent, good human being. I’m speechless. Angel of a man. He extended the type of help and support that a parent would.
Sorry people , I have never been more ashamed to be British. We don’t have a royal family, we have a cult, and if you dare to step outside that cult they will cut you to shreds. Looking back at their history fills me with disgust. Princess Margaret had her life wrecked because of them. They wouldn’t let her marry the man she loved because he was divorced. Now we have a couple, a divorced man and a divorced woman who we, the plebs are expected to accept as our king and queen??? You could by make it up. Two sayings spring to mind, the first by Princess Margaret many years ago, “if they can’t control how you look, they will control how others see you”, and Princess Diana, who said “that which they can’t control, they seek to destroy”, how right they both were. I will never believe that Diana’s death was an accident. They said her driver was drunk and high. So how could this drunken man, get up from the bar, stop, bend down tie his shoelaces and carry on walking without stumbling, and how would someone who is high, even know his shoelace was undone. The whole thing stinks
I’ve said it before and I will say it again… Tyler Perry is a lovely lovely person.
And how nice to discover that he is Lili’s godfather ❤
His life story is amazing and he’s still young. They need to do a movie about this man’s life. It’s really incredible all he’s been through and what he has accomplished thus far.
^^ Yes @ME and @Cathy! I didn’t know how wealthy Tyler is, nor how much he has done to help others. In late 2020, or early 2021, Tyler received a humanitarian award at an industry awards show. In the tribute, many of Tyler’s benevolent deeds were cited, and they didn’t even mention how he aided M&H. The presentation and Tyler’s acceptance speech brought tears to my eyes.
It was pretty hard to hold it together through some of this and what Tyler Perry did for them was so heartwarming. Then he got serious about the abuse and it was like “fuck these people, they’re abusers”.
The peace of mind he gave them, the love… man, I could’ve done another hour or two.
It was an incredible end to the series. But William…William cannot come back from this. They really went there with him, in real time.
^^ I’m with you @Feebee. Vol. 1 of the series is loving and poignant. Vol. 2 is deep, intense, and heartbreaking. I appreciate the scenes near the end where Ashleigh is reunited with her aunt and spiritual sister, Meghan. And we see Ash in the Montecito kitchen baking with Archie. 💞 👍
But when Meg read her wedding reception speech at the end, how beautiful and uplifting. When she wrote that speech, there’s no way she could have known how prophetic her words would become in their lives. OMG. Their story is so fateful and heart wrenching. At the same time, they are a sweet, goofy, loving, and down-to-earth young couple who simply want to do good in the world and raise their children in peace and happiness. Blessings to them. 🙏
What Tyler Perry did, I think, speaks to the way that the global Black community stepped up for H&M, and did so from the beginning. Like that T.P. sent Meghan a letter ‘praying for her’ on her wedding day. And I remember Oprah making a comment in the interview about how she (Oprah) was like “oh, THIS is gonna be interesting!” thinking about the first woman of color marrying into the BRF. What’s interesting to me is how naive Meghan was herself about it — during Suits she had written an article about what means to be biracial, so it’s not like she ever hid it. But as Black twitter & tiktok has pointed out, she spent a lifetime benefiting from white passing privilege. And the fact that Doria never had “the talk” with her really hindered M’s ability to recognize that people are going to see her differently than she perceives herself. Again, M is self-aware, but there does seem to have been a blind spot about her Blackness when she started dating Harry. So I think it’s cool that Black celebrities stepped up for Meghan (like when Beyonce did that “Queen Meghan” portrait), because they knew immediately how SHE would be seen and what she would be subjected to.
Everything you said here is 100%. I gasped at how naive Doria was in not having any sort of talks with Meghan about what it means to be Black/mixed race in a world built on white supremacy. Not a conversation for here but my group chats/family chats are blowing up discussing it. For the most part, I think it would be incredibly hard to navigate the world without the tools and the language to talk about racism, but specifically anti-Blackness, to recognize it and to call it out. I still think Meghan is struggles to talk about those subjects well but the documentary has given the context for that.
As to Tyler Perry, I have critiqued him in the past(and will continue to do so) about how horribly he portrays Black women on stage and screen. Some of the stuff he has put out has been disturbing, particularly in its need to punish Black women. However, I think what he did here was amazingly generous and it was beyond kind to stand up for what were strangers at the time.
I haven’t watched Tyler Perry movies, but have definitely heard the criticism of his movies as trafficking in misogynoir. This honestly adds another layer to his being H&M’s “savior” in the context of Meghan’s white-passing privilege! I”m not saying Tyler Perry is colorist but I also think colorism needs to be taken into account here (given the entirely fair criticism of his movies from Black critics & moviegoers).
That’s not true. Meghan was raised by Black women. She knew. She just never got this level of abuse before. Doria shouldn’t have had to go well marrying into this family may have a whole different level coming at you.
My BGF (a black woman) has a mixed-race daughter that passed white. She 100% refuses to have the talk with the 16-year-old. BGF’s argument from day one to us was she just wanted her daughter to live without the fear and limitations the world would place on her.10% of me understands the reasons, so I stopped fighting with her about it.
To be fair, Meghan isn’t the only Black woman he’s helped. Tiffany Haddish also received help from him when she needed it. And we don’t know how many people he has helped without it getting in the newspapers. My guess is that if he worked this hard to help people he didn’t know, he’s probably done a lot for people he did know.
100% this. I love that it was Tyler Perry, a kind and powerful black man, who quite literally saved them from the claws of a dying, racist institution. The idea and imagery is so evocative and powerful, especially given the damning history of the RF. There needs to be a Renaissance (inspired) painting of this moment in history.
Absolutely. I just kept thinking how amazing and fitting it was that the people who helped them ie Oprah, Tyler Perry are powerful black individuals, the complete antithesis of what the RF institution stands for and was built on. That they are not beholden to nor fear the institution and have the means to fully support H & M must make the Royal Family and Rota Rats INSANE with rage. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of takedowns of Tyler Perry from the British media in the coming week; I don’t think he’ll be too put out though 😂
@Naomi: “What’s interesting to me is how naive Meghan was herself about it…”
Oh, it was a good thing how naive she was! Like Meg said in the doc, it probably helped that she didn’t know exactly what she was stepping into. Moreover, she was lied to by some firm members anyway. Not knowing the level of cult-like toxicity made her able to walk into the situation and be herself before the worst developed.
@Lux: “There needs to be a Renaissance (inspired) painting of this moment in history.”
I’m loving this creative imagery! For sure, their story is historic, timely, fated, and significant. That’s why I’m so glad the filmmaker included the historical context in very effective ways. There’s just so much to take in about this documentary series on a number of levels. I don’t think there’s an understanding of how much there is we can all learn from M&H’s love story, and everything they overcame to nurture and sustain their love.
Everything you said and more. And I cannot believe how naive Meghan was, that she thought the biggest takeaway from the Oprah interview would be that she had been suicidal and not about the royal racist(s). Ohhhhh, honey. That blind spot is a result of her white passing privilege and Doria’s lack of preparing her daughter for reality. I actually laughed at how clueless she and Harry seemed about that.
@ThatsNotOkay 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽. All of this. I never said it here because I knew I would be pounced on, but it was incredibly obvious to Megan that she did not have the skills to handle the racist assault she received. I’m not in any way saying what she went through was ok or justifiable, but it was clear that this was the first major moment that Megan had to deal with the type of racism that non-ambiguous dark-skinned women have learned the hard way.
Particularly the African-American community. Black Americans were the ones who provided the shelter and support that literally saved this family. I wanted to mention that because the very aspect of Meghan’s background that riles up the Brits the most, the part that they thought she should be ashamed of, is the one that swooped in to protect her when she was in need.
People really need to stop with Meghan is white passing white passing means a black persons who appeared white and lives their life as a white Person . Meghan is just a very light skinned woman she never deny her black side she spoken openly about being half black .
Agreed, people use white passing and light skin previlige inter-changably, and it’s not the same thing. Megan never passed as white.
Thank you Vanessa. She was proud as punch when she found out about her Nigerian background.
Yes – I was shocked that Doria hadn’t better prepared Meghan, but I think there’s something about living in a very diverse place and among so many people that makes it feel like it’s not necessary. When you have friends from a lot of different communities it can feel like things are working well, as they should.
I’m from a similarly diverse community (also in CA, like Meghan) and I didn’t realize how messed up CA racial dynamics are (even in the more diverse and progressive areas) until I lived places where the racism was more overt, then I became more aware of it at home.
I think people need to understand that Meghan’s awareness of her racial identity and understanding of what it meant are different things. Meghan seems to have had a lot of friends of different backgrounds but it is notable that she primarily seemed to surround herself with white people. Many of her closest relationships (based on her own photos and Instagram) were white people.
When her mother tried to say something to her, I thought it was interesting that Meghan responded “Oh, I don’t want to hear any of that, Mommy.”
A lot of Meghan’s choices and how she presented herself revealed the depths of her light skinned privilege, her proximity to whiteness and her ignorance of a lot of racialized prejudice that unambiguously Black women have been calling out for years. None of us WANT to be mistreated based on our race, but Meghan had the privilege of not experiencing much of it until she married into a family of racist, inbred pond scum.
And there it is….. thank you, Tyler Perry.
I fell in love with Tyler this morning! It’s wonderful that he offered to be of help to them years before they needed him, that he was ready to help when the time came, and that TP both understood the threat to H& especially M, and had witnessed it himself with his own mother.
“Harry and Meghan” has also made me aware of how important *Meghan’s* friends and connections have been! There’s a ton of talk about the royal family, but Harry’s friends weren’t helping them in the UK and Canada to the same extent as Meghan’s. That really speaks well for her.
I have been thinking about this too! And I think that’s one of the many differences between Meghan & Kate’s situations: Meghan has a network of really tight (and well-connected, successful, rich) girlfriends, and Kate does not. There’s no way H&M would have been able to extricate themselves from the BRF without Meghan’s support network. (I guess what I’m trying to say is that even *if* Kate wanted to leave William, how could she, really? All she has is Carol.) They’re story really is about how it takes a village. Community will save you!
I made a similar comment on the Summit post. I contend that Kate’s biggest mistake is not developing a network for herself. She’s like the stay at home wife of a rich husband who receives an allowance, but knows nothing about the family finances, who’s isolated without friends and family, and completely at the mercy of her spouse. Anything goes wrong and she’s completely screwed. How does she escape? How does she build a new life for herself? How does she take care of the kids if she’s cut off? How does she fight for custody?
I completely agree—Kate is alone and her only support seems to be people (her family) who care about being Royal adjacent.
Even in uni Kate didn’t seem to have close female friends, or if she did, they were exactly like her — empty-headed, manipulative, jealous and spiteful. Her carefully curated “public” persona of the loving and dutiful wife and mother, the backbone and mainstay of the BRF, is utter BS. She has always had the QC title as her focus, and has let William debase her throughout the entirety of their relationship because having that clout supersedes everything else (like work). Having Meghan join the family and surpassing anything Kate’s ever done or could do was intolerable, and she clearly knows what side her bread is buttered on, but she chose the wrong side.
“The most I knew about the royal family was around Princess Diana’s death…” JUST WOW. I stand applaud Tyler Perry and I hope he knows how much people admire him for being a decent and kind hearted soul.
I always respected Tyler for what he’s done with his life and where he came from but seeing how he helped Meghan and Harry during this scary and unsettled time has taken that respect to another level. When you have no where to go and you struggling to keep your head above water and it is overwhelming. I have been there and it’s just me without children like Meghs and Haz.
Tyler was a lighthouse in a horrible storm for them and I’m so happy they had/have him.
I would take Tyler’s opinion over Frankel’s and Sterns any day on any issue. And he, of course, actually knows H&M.
He’s one hundred percent right on the tactics abusers use, isolation, financial dependency, threats of harm for noncompliance, it’s amazing he recognized it and acted on their behalf against such a powerful foe Truly amazing and awe inspiring and I am SO glad they are speaking up.
I am astounded by the generosity, love and support that a virtual stranger offered two people who at that time needed those the most! Thank God for Tyler Perry!
I haven’t watched the documentary yet, but just reading this moved me to tears. When growing up in a toxic family, it is so easy to feel isolated and feel like you are the crazy one, and that you’re over reacting… If it hadn’t been for the kindness of strangers, and their unconditional, love and support, I may have never gotten out huge props to Tyler Perry, for showing the good in the world at a time when everything probably felt hopeless for Harry and Meghan. And a wonderful reminder to all of us to all that showing the smallest bit of kindness can truly be life-changing.
How many times have we said here that Harry and Meghan are victims escaping their royal and media abusers? How many times have we likened the British media to the jealous, toxic, abusive ex who won’t let their victim go, who say “If I can’t have you, know one can.”
We haven’t been a bench of Meghan-worshippers here. We’ve been a community of support that can see through the lies and the vitriol, practically the only space on the Internet willing to look beyond the royal messaging and see what’s going on.
To have someone as powerful as Tyler Perry say that out loud, with his whole voice, renders me speechless. I’m going to be watching this later on with my mom, and I’m going to have the tissues ready.
I’ve said many times here that Harry and Meghan are the 21st century’s first great love story. It covers all the bases: 2 people from different social classes, races, and cultures, who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and triumph over all the powerful entities seeking to drive them apart. We love that stuff, especially in America. Thier story is EPIC. They are the ultimate underdogs fighting against an ultimate power.
And the British royal family are the bad guys in their story. They are the villians. That no courtier could see this coming, that no rota member thought about the greater implications of this, is astounding to me. There are at least a dozen Celebitches who, if we were working behind the scenes for the royal family with any semblace of authority, could have steered them differently in preservation of the institution.
If it was hard for them to live down the death of Diana, what are they going to do now? Diana was dead, at least. her ghost has continued to haunt the family, but she wasn’t there as a beautiful, charismatic reminder of their failings.
The way that Harry and Meghan will be, with their beautiful children. Every time Harry and Meghan step out from this point forward, it’ll be a terrible reminder of the royal family’s utter failure. None of this had to happen. It’s not on Meghan. This disaster for the royal family is their own doing, entirely. It’s their own pettiness, small-mindedness, racism, jealousy.
I always appreciate your insightful comments but just wanted to thank you especially for this one. You said it all perfectly. One of the most painful things about all of this is how many people just absorb those palace talking points and don’t understand what is really happening.
@Lanne
A truly excellent comment.
This story encapsulates so many situations in the world…from angles of racism, sexism, classicism, abuse of power, generational trauma…and should make us reflect deeply on and question the role models and aspirations that are held up as supposedly desirable
@lanne Every. Word. You. Said.
Especially: “We haven’t been a bench of Meghan-worshippers here. We’ve been a community of support that can see through the lies and the vitriol, practically the only space on the Internet willing to look beyond the royal messaging and see what’s going on. To have someone as powerful as Tyler Perry say that out loud, with his whole voice, renders me speechless.”
This is why I read Celebitchy. I was so tired of all the gaslighting. I could see with my own eyes the abuse H&M were enduring, and yet the media was calling up, down, and down, up. I’m really grateful for the community of intelligent, insightful people at Celebitchy.
Also, yes, Thank God for Tyler Perry.
agree 100%! I found this site during Katie Holmes’ Great Escape from Tom Cruise (the original Toxic Tom) and have stayed for the human/humane perspectives and ofc all the deep analysis of things that the media tosses out. I have learned so much here! unfortunately I’m not a royal reporter or someone who can benefit from knowing all of this stuff, but like Lanne says, I root for the underdog and absolutely loathe bullies, so I feel at home here.
and I have become a diehard Tyler Perry fan. he honestly did The. Most. when it was deeply needed and when a lot of people didn’t really even see what was going on.
he knew, when he sent that card, that they would probably need help and that the institution would not be doing anything to support them. he knew. and he f’n stepped up.
I know his movies are controversial. I also know he has stated that he makes them because he wants to celebrate the people he knows, the around the way folks who are not included in the mainstream image of Black folks as either thugs or uber rich gangsters. so I have all the respect for Tyler. he’s a good man.
the so called royals are probably furiously throwing their teacups against the wall over all of this.
good. they deserve it.
Keir Simmons was incredibly prescient, saying the RF/Press needed to be very careful about how they handle this, bc it could tarnish Britain’s image abroad. Nobody listened.🤷♀️
Lanne, your comment is really inciteful. I totally agree.
Thank god for this man. He was a stranger but he freely offered them the love, support, comfort, solace and freedom to come together in safety to plan the next part of their life. Something their own families never gave them and took from them actively.
I’m so thankful for Meghan’s strength in making that call. That would have been incredibly difficult in so many ways. Would he believe her? Etc. and what if he didn’t? Then what?!? He was her ace in the hole and so so much depended on him and yet even after seeing the worst people were capable of, she still reached out to a stranger who could have sold them out to the media- because she had hope. And knew goodness existed.
Thank god for Tyler Perry.
Im so happy Tyler Perry got to be the hero for the Duke and Duchess and their little Prince.
And no mention of titles either.
I can’t imagine how awful things must have been for her to call a complete stranger and unload like that, the genuine fear, desperation, and helplessness she must’ve felt, wow. What an amazing thing for Tyler to do, I have chills.
I may have missed it but, how did it get out that Tyler Perry had given them a safe place? Tyler never said anything, H&M were to fraught to let people know but, somehow the press found their location. It all sounded very sinister and like something out of a thriller, especially as all that was happening through lockdown.
Harry said that it took six weeks for their location in Canada to leak and the same thing happened when they moved to Tyler Perry’s house, I read that as the time it took for leaks from his family to reach their friends at the Mail.
@Laura, I was thinking about this just a few minutes ago. My bet is someone(s) in the locations where they were living each time must have sold them out. I saw a comment on twatter yesterday that the poster’s best friend lives on Vancouver Island and actually met Meghan at a drugstore where they talked about their babies. Anyone who saw them on that island could have sold them out and gotten cha ching for doing so. Same at Tyler Perry’s house. A neighbor, local market owner/customer, some people have no morals when it comes to money unfortunately. This is just my guess.
Tyler KNEW. He knows racism, classicism, the power of institutions. His lifeboat to M&H meant the world, he has more nobility in his pinky finger than Will has in his whole freaking body.
Well said, @Truthiness. Your screen name is so real for this. Who knew how far we’d fall as a society in the time since Colbert coined the term.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole saga is that “class” is really about being the one who gets to decide from moment to moment who/what is classy. And (trashy) Willy certainly doesn’t want to cede that ground.
@Truthiness all of this. And look at his behavior contrasted with Charles’ and William’s behavior. Tyler Perry recognized their pain and trauma bc he saw his mother go through it. His reaction was to go “not today, Satan” and did everything he good to ease that pain. The BRF was like “yeah all our wives get degraded, so your wife has to suffer too.”
OK so I’m not a super emotional person but I BAWLED my way through the final 3 episodes. Tyler Perry is absolutely right. They were abused. I hope the beatings will stop now.
I saw some comments on the previous episodes…let’s just say that for anyone who can say this story left them bored or unmoved, I will never look at that person the same way again. You don’t have to be a stan to have a heart.
Can we talk about TP being Lili’s godfather? Hallelujer!!! Are there any christening pictures? Loved it when TP said he wasn’t going to be the godfather if he had to go to England and deal with “them”. It’s on the record not everyone famous drool over the royals.
This example represents one of the things I like most about this series, they way they/the people speaking casually set right so many of the lies and disinformation that was pushed about them over the last few years. All that hand-wringing about the christening and what they would be ‘allowed’ to do? Nope, all sorted happily and safely in the the US. Given the circumstances when she came into the world I can’t think of a more fitting godparent for Lili.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again! The pope ought to make Terry Perry a saint. He is a man of uncommon courage, and with high commitment to what is just.
The Windsors have been abusing the less endowed for centuries and have grown rich from doing so. They habitually look down on others and firmly believe no one can hold them accountable. Look at how badly they abused a virgin Diana given to them in marriage. Her major crime was that her shine surpassed that of Charles and the other Windsors. It’s amazing how a group of people with no known talent, marketable skills or intelligence will insist on outshining everyone they encounter,or else… Meghan hurt their ego by being more accomplished, intelligent, charismatic and eloquent than the rest of the melancholic Windsors put together. Like inferior birds do, the Windsors flocked together and launched a vicious campaign of calumny against Meghan and her husband.They recruited the fantastically corrupt British press and thousands of internet trolls in a desperate effort to damage the Sussexes and hide the abuses the inflicted on them. Thank God for intrepid Terry Perry who stepped in to assist when the other celebrities chickened out because of fear of the powerful and vengeful Windsors. The Pope should please make Terry Perry a saint.
Tyler Perry is more of a king than Charles or William ever could hope to be.
Honestly I blame Harry and Meghan on this one. Harry is a white man who only started to realize his privilege and how insidious racism is. But Meghan has talked about being biracial, things that people said about her mother. Her still not getting the racism would be the thing most people talked about is her showing she still doesn’t get it (or at least didnt). And I wish that commenters would stop saying Doria didn’t prepare her. Every Black parent has to have the talk about police, racism, and a whole host of things with their kids. That Straight Outta Compton article happened before the marriage, Archie being called a chimp happened, the skin tone question happened. This is Meghan still thinking that these people could not be these foul and that’s on her. I am glad Tyler was like, um nope.
I don’t think you’re “blaming” her so much as saying she was too trusting and naive. She seems like someone who wants to believe the best about people and the world. Then reality hit, and Tyler Perry helped her open her eyes to what was really happening.
ANNEL, That’s what I am getting from CHILLINGINDC, too. M really was naive about the reason behind the abusive.
Literally blaming the victims? Seriously? Wow.
I think the problem is there’s multiple things at play…all the isms are working against her classism, racism, mysoginy, xenophobia. All of it!!! I don’t know if both of them still understand the full scope of what’s happened. If you hear Meghan’s recent interviews she said she’s still healing. It’s gonna be a long time before they both can fully understand all that happened to them. She mentioned things that were triggering about not fitting in which also went back to being biracial as a child..Harry talks about being triggered by losing another woman in his life.
Harry’s also trying to navigate between family versus institution. These are two imperfect people opening up to the world…Phew it’s a lot!
Harry and Meghan want family but the supposedly “family” prioritize the institution while doing photo oops that make them look like family. It’s such trash
Stop with the victim blaming. Meghan is the type of person who tries to see good in everyone, and clearly thought the BRF was above that kind of racial smearing and tolerating it in the gutter press. She wasn’t naïve, she is a very smart and accomplished woman who was condemned for it.
Imagine thinking the kind hearted person who assumed the best in people is the problem.
I’m sorry, and I hope I’m missing your point, because what I absorbed from your comments is that you are blaming Meghan for being a hopeful being. She understood the media was foul but you’re blaming her for thinking “these people could not be these (sic) foul” about her husband’s family? Her HUSBAND couldn’t believe his family was treating her this way and feeding the trolls, how was she expected to know it was being okay’d by them behind the scenes?
I really hope I have misunderstood your blame-shaming, cause otherwise, that kind of puts you on the wrong team IMHO…
FGS no one is victim blaming. I am saying full stop that Meghan who got attacked for the color of her skin before she married Harry, whose son was attacked before birth, should not have been shocked that most people saw the Oprah interview and wanted to talk about racism. And I was speaking more to the commenters who said Ms. Doria didn’t prepare her enough. Knock it off. You can support Meghan without acting like her mother did something wrong here. Meghan had been moving in those places for a while and until she married a Prince she didn’t think the color of her skin was limiting her the way it limits darker skinned Black women and men. That’s a fact.
And she’s a Black woman moving in predominantly white spaces. I am a smidge darker than Meghan and I have to still prepare myself for someone pulling some BS on me. That’s me wondering what is happening with her personally that she based on this series doesn’t get that part still. She’s seen by the RR and the RF as Black. She identifies as biracial. I don’t think she faced racism (In her own words) til she got married and I am baffled at her still thinking racism is not going to be a key component of the mess that the RF and RR got up. There is some classism involved but also big hard R racism.
“FGS no one is victim blaming.”
Um…yeah. You are. God, can we _please_ stop letting perfection be the enemy of the good when it comes to racism? 🙄🙄 The hard truth is that no matter how many “the talks” you get as a POC, there is nothing to prepare you for the vast, vast amount of nasty racist varieties out there. Oftentimes, they will be a type you’ve never experienced–or on a scale you never see coming. Why should Meghan have expected these folks to be this depraved? Honestly, I would have thought the RF was too busy to care–or that what grief was out there was the obvious Princess Michael kind. Slamming Meghan for not being woke enough is concern-trolling at best, victim-blaming at worst. Sheesh.
@ChillinginDC Meghan said she believed them when the RF said they would protect her. And they didn’t, they did the opposite. So I can understand why she comes off as naïve. She didn’t comprehend the cruelty the RF is capable of I guess? She even says in the doc that the lies were come from tabloids, and “who believes tabloids???”. She’s guilty of trusting IMO.
God bless Mr Perry! William & Charles are going to the deepest, hottest part of hell! Kate will be in the layer of hell just above them! That’s all I can say!
Yupyup Tyler Perry was definitely the life boat for sure. Do you see how happy Harry was on that plane and his 1st 6weeks at Tyler’s?
Although this was huge financially especially where security was concerned, people would be surprised how often this happens among black ppl especially among those who have wealth and those who sacrifice everything to fight for justicefor the culture intended or accidentally. One can dig into how folks lile Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafontain made sure that,Malcolm X’s widow and kids made it through. And Corretta and her kids. Black folks in the US do it on a much smaller scale everyday. Ergo the Sussex Squad and Beyhive etc etc etc. That is why you hear Van Jones relay about Prince saying “what,about her kids what about her kids” when Lauryn Hill,was sentenced for tax evasion. Her would not rest until he knew they were alright. It does not happen for everybody do not get me wrong but it a little known tradition of Black America.
I’m not sure I’ve fully processed my respect and admiration for Tyler Perry after seeing this. Same with Meghan and Harry. These people are living proof that how you react to power is your choice. Power simply amplifies who you already are. If you’re a kind person with a strong moral compass, you use it for good. If you’re a whiny little sh!t who believes that you are God’s actual gift, you get to throw tantrums on a global scale.
I have liked Tyler Perry for a while because I love the Madea movies and I think he’s a genius…but this is something else! What a kind person!! He is just an amazing human, that is all.
He is an INCREDIBLE human being. In the time since I knew he provided the Sussexes a home and security and he hadn’t even met them, I ask myself, “what can I do today to make someone’s load a bit lighter”. Honestly, God bless that man.
PART 1
You know……Imma go there. Here goes: I’m heartily !!!SICK!!! of seeing (mostly) dark-skinned black people/women in particular, join in with their white, allies-of-convenience (aka many white so-called liberals) to either gently or vitriolically go after Meghan because she tried to forge a life of EQUAL acceptance of BOTH her black and white selves.
On one hand you have some [folks mentioned above] almost forcedly expecting her to CHOOSE (she and Mariah spoke to this on Archetype) and on the other, you have white people forcing her…..not so much to “choose” as to SHOW that she’s ‘deserving’ of that white half by denouncing her black half so they can be racist toward her in peace.
Having been born and raised in a predominantly black country which had fully embraced the black power movement of the ’60s and has only grown stronger and stronger within that ethos since then, my black experience is not that of black America (the history of which I wont go into here) nor is it that of black Britain (which is soooo pathetically woeful) and neither is it of a place like South Africa and similar majority-black populations which, despite being massively black-dominated, was white-ruled with all that that entail.
…/2
PART 2
No, my black experience is that of a full-fledged human being, knowingly benefiting from the struggles of my ancestors and elders such that I honor them by not cowering or going into any pre-prepared “box” that either black people or white people think I should go in and stay in and have my being in.
You come to my country? then know that youre not gonna be allowed, or get away with, any overt or covert racism without getting your arse handed to you on the spot. And I and my fellow citizens are acutely capable of identifying overt AND covert racism as well as colorism.
So all these black americans or black brits (along with the white choruses behind them) or any other folks from any other country thats still actively struggling with identity, who are, to varying degrees, coming for Meghan for expecting a modicum of decency from the brf DESPITE their history and based solely on the facade of civility that theyve worn and apparently fooled everyone, since at least the mid-20th century (i:e during the entirety of the reign of betty the second) that theyre capable of, can just eff the h3ll off.
-30-
Can we please know the name of your country?
This two part post confirms the ubiquity of anti-blackness.
It is EVERYWHERE on planet earth, despite the fact it is based on a lie.
It persists.
It is even present where it seems people were allowed to be without labels.
Here it posits itself as biracial and spouts all the inanity with its finger pointing and blame assignment in lieu of black freedom.
Is it status anxiety?
A need to stir the pot?? Trolling??
Diversion??? A lie???
Whatever it is, it needs to take a seat quietly?
KINGSTON, thanks for sharing. I can relate to all you have said.
and those other people? from the “American actress’s” own network, thank you very much.
I don’t know anything about Tyler Perry except he was there for a couple he didn’t know. He’s a a profoundly kind and understanding person.
The decent thing for the institution to do was to allow the Sussexes to spend the year of transition in Canada with proper security as negotiated between the two governments.
Instead, they had to expose their abusive response to their unacceptable behaviour.
Meghan was smart enough to ask for help, and luckily she asked the right person.
It was a wonderful resolution in a difficult time.
He has been decent and incredibly kind to them.
Good on Mr. Perry.
Reposted.
I was moved to tears at TP kindness and generosity, his empathy towards people he didn’t even know personally. Thank god he did and I’m so glad they’re in eo lives.
I’m commenting late on this, so I’m sure this will be buried, but I watched ALL of the new episodes this morning over coffee and came away so impressed. Just WOW.
I didn’t think I could love Tyler Perry more, but his role in their journey, and the truth he spoke about them on the doc was incredible. What a beautiful human to help them so.
I had a thought about how amazing it is that American “royalty” (i.e. Americans who have become extremely successful, wealthy, and beloved through their work) have all stepped up to support the Sussexes. Tyler Perry is as close to an American ‘King’ as we have, so it makes sense to me that he would be so gracious and benevolent, and recognizing of their need at that time.
I’m glad meghan didn’t call Elton John for help.
That man will surely send his jet with him inside and attack Charles with his bag swinging.
Therefor making matter worse.
This has all the elements of a fairy tale. A lonely prince, abused by his family, living in a hovel, much like Cinderella. This story has an evil King, a wicked stepmother and a nasty brother to bully our prince, use him and ultimately betray him. He marries a princess, they escape to a far-away land, where the abuse of them both continues. Finally, a fairy godmother (Madea) rescues them, they escape again to live happily ever after in another far-away land.
I am so grateful for Tyler Perry, he has restored my faith in human nature, a true gentleman and a hero.
Well said!
I liked some of Tyler Perry’s movies in the past, but now I am a fan.
Meghan had a strong network:
Oprah – gave them a platform in 2021
Beyonce – Depicted her as a queen in video
Serena – Hosted baby shower in NYC
David Foster – Mansion in Canada
Had Harry fallen in love with someone not as connected, then just imagine the decades of abuse they would have been in for.
A new level of disdain for the family with billions of dollars and literally throwing them to the press vultures.
What friends can and will do for you in desperation has its limits. Empathy is an accurate word; when you cannot display it, it’s best not to let others know.
Light-skinned privilege across ethnicities is a real thing. I’m old enough to remember when it depended on who got the job, regardless of qualifications.
Light-skin privilege and “white-passing” are not the same. White women accuse Meghan of being “white-passing,” which is invalid. A white-passing woman can’t display the visibly black parent. My father told us stories about white-passing, especially in the south. Once you cross that line, you can’t return.
The British Royal Family is a group of poorly educated white people gifted with stolen wealth and showered with adoration by another group with low self-esteem. I’m not mad at them because exploitation comes in many forms. There are more interracial couples in this world than ever because people are gradually learning that character, not color, defines love. Charles, never connected to reality, continues to convince me that there is a special place in Hades for him. I’m pleased Harry and Meghan helped to produce the documentary. They have a right to tell their story. Fingers crossed that Tyler Perry’s production company will be their choice for the full reveal someday.
Oh man can you imagine what a nightmare it will be for Charles and William if Princess Lili looks as much like Princess Diana as Harry said, I mean Diana was/is immensely popular in the US. There would be no end to the eclipsing of the “senior” royals in US public opinion. The US would lose its mind over an american born and raised granddaughter of Princess Diana who looks like her.
I loved this whole series, and as much as I adored Harry and Meghan, Tyler Perry was really the hero of the story for me. What a great guy. He saw their need, and he really stepped up and helped them feel safe without question. He was fantastic. The older brother Meghan never had, she needed him – they both did- and he was there. All the props to him for how he stood up for them.
Well well well
A bunch of posters condemning Tyler Perry action in helping meghan because of something something.
Then, throwing a doubt about meghan special colour skin make her dumb or something.
Dude, didn’t you watch the docu series.
Meghan was doing Yoga with soundtrack or record on giving positive vibe an aura!!!!
No matter what people throw at her she is a person who look at it in rainbow colours.
Unless you threaten her children then she will fight back.