Tyler Perry recently opened up about his parenting philosophy for the holidays, sharing that he only gives two Christmas gifts because his son is on Tommy Strawn status: “He don’t have a job!”
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Now, Tyler… That’s one way to stop the nepo baby BS before! Between his endless slate of productions and filling so many roles on both sides of the camera, Tyler Perry is one of the hardest-working men in show business. He opened up about the decisions to make sure his son shares his epic work ethic and values rather than his fame and fortune… even when it comes to Christmas.
While promoting his new Netflix film, The Six Triple Eight, he shared his parenting philosophy on Sherri Shepherd’s show. The host asked about Tyler’s holiday plans and whether his son gave him a Christmas list. With a larger-than-life studio in Georgia and net worth to match, the 55-year-old could give Aman Tyler anything he wants. However, the media mogul promptly shut down the idea, stating, “He don’t get no Christmas list.”
“He gets two things: books and Legos,” Tyler continued.
“That’s it?!” a surprised Sherri inquired.
“He don’t have a job! What else is he going to get?” Tyler quipped without missing a beat.
Tyler Perry Explains Having A PJ While Son Only Flies Coach: “He’s Not Going To Be One Of Those Ridiculous Spoiled Rich Kids”
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For the writer/producer/director, it’s about ensuring his celebrity seed understands the value of hard work. So the low-key Christmas is just the tip of the iceberg. He recalled deciding with ex-wife Gelila Bekele that they would only fly commercial instead of using Tyler’s PJ. As a 5-year-old, he was already so used to traveling in luxury that he complained about flying commercial. After that moment, both parents agreed he needed a reality check.
“They’ve been going coach for years so that he understands I worked, he did not! So when he works, he can learn that lesson. He’s not going to be one of those ridiculous spoiled rich kids! I can’t stand that! No! He ain’t got no money!” he continued.
Sherri followed up by asking how Tyler “keeps it normal” for Aman despite being world-famous. “I know you don’t show him in the public so he doesn’t have that thing of ‘Tyler Perry’s son.’”
“I want him to know who he is before people start to say, ‘Oh, that’s Tyler Perry’s son!’ I want to make sure that he’s not seen in public. Even when I’m at a game, I’m in the back so he can play and not be bothered. All those things are important to me so he can have as much of a normal life as he can. Very different from my childhood, but I don’t want him to be that spoiled, rich, entitled,” he shared.
While the jokes about pocket-checking his child got laughs, Tyler previously spoke about putting his child’s development first. In 2022, he told Gayle King at the Tribeca Film Festival about the “grounded” parenting plan to “teach him about the struggle.”
“[Aman] does not get everything he wants. For birthdays, he’ll get a gift or two. For Christmas, he’ll get a gift or two. Because he don’t have a job. He ain’t got no money,” he explained, keeping the same energy.
That might sound extreme about a 6-year-old, but so did the baby baller’s demands. His dad said he was ready to swipe away after seeing his credit card in action.
“So I’m at work, I get a message from [Aman], and he said, ‘Papa? Can I use your credit card?’ He’s 6 years old! I’m like, ‘What the hell you know about a credit card?’ He’d just seen me use the credit card. I was like, ‘No, son. That’s just plastic, but you have to pay for it. You have to have a job,’” he repeated.
Check out Tyler Perry’s full interview on Sherri below.