Tyler Perry Trends As Fans Debate Criticism He Receives For Dressing As A Woman In Madea, While People Widely Celebrate Robin Williams’ Role As Mrs. Doubtfire

Tyler Perry, Robin Williams

Tyler Perry Trends As Fans Debate Criticism He Receives For Dressing As A Woman In Madea, While People Widely Celebrate Robin Williams’ Role As Mrs. Doubtfire

Media titan Tyler Perry is once again at the center of an intense online discussion.

Internet users have been going back and forth comparing what seems to be disproportionate backlash he gets for dressing as a woman relative to his colleague Robin Williams.

In case you’re unfamiliar, the topic arose following Katt Williams‘ recent explosive appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast Club Shay Shay. The “First Sunday” star took some demeaning shots at many comedians in the industry, heavily criticizing their skill at being comedic. One of his targets was billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry, who notably launched to fame for his stage plays and movies where he starred as the character Madea – a fictional no nonsense Black woman beloved by many.

During his recent interview Williams, as he has done before, criticized Perry and other Black comedians for – as he sees it – only being able to be funny if they sacrifice their dignity to dress as women. While discussing his ongoing beef with Rickey Smiley, the jokester added that the two:

“can’t play a man to save they life”

KATT WILLIAMS GOES IN ON RICKEY SMILEY & TYLER PERRY pic.twitter.com/yr31RdM6CU

— _HOTTAKETUKR (@_Fleeezy) January 3, 2024

Williams‘ stance inadvertently led to one social media user’s adverse opinion, which then opened a floodgate of discussion about the topic online. Involving late actor Robin Williams, one commenter compared the heat that Perry often gets for his recurring portrayal as Madea to Williams‘ widely acclaimed role as Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1993 movie of the same name. In case you’re unfamiliar with the film, the Oscar award winner portrays a father recently divorced who desperately takes on the persona of a nanny named Mrs. Doubtfire in order to spend more time with his children.

Making the comparison in defense of Perry, the commenter wrote:

“Everybody is putting down Tyler Perry for the Madea character. Meanwhile, Mrs. Doubtfire is one of everyone’s favorite movies.”

And followed up with:

“Saying Madea is the ceiling for Tyler Perry is so far off the mark. Only one of them is the greatest filmmaker of all time. And it’s not Robin Williams.”

He even had a response for those who counter argued that Perry gets so much flack compared to Williams because he chose to continue portraying a woman whereas the latter only did so in one film. The user, who goes by the handle @jamesjonesesq, responded:

People continued to share their thoughts on the situation in the comments. Some doubled down on their stance, criticizing Perry’s choice to continuously take on the Madea character and argued that he doesn’t have any other good roles that suggest he could be successful if it wasn’t for the franchise. Others defended the media mogul, reversely arguing that Madea always offers different lessons and is a versatile storyline. Some seem to simply be offended by the Williams‘ comparison, as he notably has a lot more diverse roles over his decades long acting career.

It doesn’t appear that Perry has chimed in on the topic at this time.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!