Tyler Perry To Retire ‘Madea’ Character In 2019
According to E Online, comedian Tyler Perry is ready to move on from his most famous character, “Madea.” Perry introduced the sassy Madea character to the world during his play I Can Do Bad All By Myself in 1999. The character was such a hit he went on to create several successful movies starring Madea such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, Meet the Browns, Madea Goes to Jail, and Madea’s Witness Protection. Now, Perry feels it’s time to put the Madea character to rest — literally.
“It’s time for me to kill that old b—h,” he said to Bevy Smith during an interview on Smith’s Sirius XM show Bevelations. “I’m tired, man. I’m tired. We’re going to say goodbye in ’19. I just don’t want to be her age playing her.”
Perry also revealed that Madea’s last film, A Madea Family Funeral, had actually already been filmed two years ago. He decided to wait to release it because he had just released Boo! A Madea Halloween and Boo. 2! A Madea Halloween and didn’t want to immediately follow those films up with another Madea movie. Instead, he opted to release Acrimony, starring Taraji P. Henson, and Nobody’s Fool starring Tiffany Haddish. (The latter will premiere on November 2.) Perry wanted audiences to see those movies first and enjoy them before officially saying goodbye to Madea.
20 years after Tyler Perry created Madea he will retire the character in Tyler Perry's a Madea Family Funeral; 3.1.2019 ? pic.twitter.com/nHrPnjqokC
— Fandango (@Fandango) October 31, 2018
Perry understands that Madea has a huge fanbase and it won’t be easy for some people to part ways with the character. To accommodate these fans, Perry is going on a farewell tour where he will perform as Madea with the original cast that appeared in Madea’s debut.
“All of the originals—we’re going to go out there and do it again,” he said.
Perry cited his mother as inspiration for the rambunctious character. He also got the idea from fellow comedian Eddie Murphy’s performance in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Madea is known for her vulgarity and blunt, humorous honesty. Perry always committed himself fully to this role by donning hair and make-up to make him look like an older female. While Perry is retiring the iconic character, he isn’t retiring from comedy in general. According to Variety, the entertainer has just signed a new deal with Viacom and will be producing more shows, movies, and short online videos.
The success he garnered with the character is certainly memorable as the franchise earned over $500 million over the span of ten films. While Madea may be on her way out, she definitely won’t be forgotten.
