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Tyler Perry’s public comments about his son Aman return to a few themes: fatherhood changed his priorities, his own childhood shaped the parent he wants to be, and he hopes Aman can grow up with privacy and choose his own path. The remarks below trace interviews and reports from 2016 through December 2024; they describe what Perry has said publicly, not a complete account of his family life.
2016: Fatherhood changed Perry’s priorities
In a March 2016 interview with TIME’s Daniel D’Addario, Perry said he needed time to adjust to fatherhood and wanted to make sure he and Aman knew each other from birth. He described the change as life-altering and said he wanted Aman to know his father’s love. Reflecting on the experience, Perry said, “This little boy has been my healer.” TIME’s interview presented fatherhood as both a new responsibility and a major shift in what mattered to him.
2017: He hoped Aman would define his own future
In an interview on ESSENCE’s Yes, Girl!, Perry said he hoped Aman would be “the best that he can be” and “all that he wants to be,” whatever he chose to do. His answer emphasized the freedom to determine his own future; Perry did not say Aman should follow him into entertainment or take over his studio. ESSENCE reported his comments about fatherhood and Aman’s future.
2019: Joy, respectful discipline, and limits
A PEOPLE cover interview, reported by Yahoo, quoted Perry describing Aman as his greatest joy. Perry recalled addressing his young son at eye level after Aman had behaved poorly toward a nanny. He said Aman understood and apologized, and that the exchange moved him because he had not been treated with similar respect as a child. These are Perry’s recollections of the incident and its meaning to him. Yahoo’s report of the PEOPLE interview also said Perry and Aman’s mother, Gelila Bekele, were careful about how much they gave him.
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2022: Privacy and a life beyond his father’s fame
In an interview with AARP The Magazine, Perry said he wanted Aman to have a normal life despite his father’s public profile: “My son’s not famous. I want him to have as normal a life as he can.” Perry also said he wanted Aman to have his own name and life, without pressure to live up to his father. The AARP interview is the source of those remarks, which GMA also covered.
In GMA’s account of the same interview, Perry discussed how and when to talk with Aman about racial prejudice. He said he wanted to delay that explanation while his son was young, and hoped Aman would grow into someone who recognized injustice, spoke out, and effected change. Those comments reflect what Perry said in that interview; they do not establish a comprehensive account of how he approaches the subject as a parent. GMA reported his comments about fatherhood, privacy, and race.
2024: Learning to parent differently
In a February 2024 Oprah Daily conversation excerpt reported by TODAY, Perry said he had worried he would not know how to be a good father because he had not had a good example. The answer he settled on was: “Do it in reverse.” The phrase captures his stated intention to make different choices from the ones he experienced growing up. TODAY reported the exchange from Perry’s Oprah conversation.
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In a PEOPLE interview reported in December 2024, Perry described an effort with Bekele to keep their son grounded despite what the family could afford. Perry recalled Aman objecting to flying commercial when he was young, and described the parents’ response as helping him understand that access to wealth did not mean every preference would be met. This is Perry’s account as recounted in the interview report, not independently established detail about the family. PEOPLE reported Perry’s story about the conversation.
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