Famed Hollywood actor and comedian Tyler Perry revealed he had attempted suicide after suffering “so much pain” and “so much sexual abuse” as a child.
The Madea star, 53, spoke about the “dark” times he previously faced amid the shocking news that dancer and DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss has died by suicide.
In a video shared to his Instagram account on Thursday, Tyler reflected on his own mental health struggles while discussing the death of Ellen Show star tWitch.
“I’m shocked, like the rest of the world, by the death of Stephen Boss … I’ve only met him a couple of times,” he said of the star, who died Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. ‘He was always full of life, he seemed such a light.’
Famed Hollywood actor and comedian Tyler Perry revealed he had attempted suicide after suffering “so much pain” and “so much sexual abuse” as a child
The 53-year-old Madea star opened up about the “dark” times he previously faced amid the shocking news that dancer and DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss (seen in 2018) has died by suicide
In a video shared to his Instagram account on Thursday, Tyler said, “I tried to commit suicide a couple of times because it was so dark. I didn’t think it would get better’
Tyler then spoke about some of his own personal struggles, adding, “So I just want to take you back to a time in my life where I tried to commit suicide a couple of times because it was so dark.”
“I didn’t think it would get any better. I had endured so much pain, so much abuse, sexual abuse. It was all so hard just going through it.’
Tyler admitted he thought “the only way to do better is to end your life.”
“Had any of those attempts happened, I would have missed the best part of my life,” he continued.
The 53-year-old concluded his message by urging anyone struggling to “reach out to someone” or “ask for help”.
“I know it may seem like there’s no hope, but please reach out to someone … call, ask for help if you’re dealing with anything that’s taking you emotionally to a place where You think you want to end your life.” he said.
“Now, as I look back on all those dark times, I realize that sometimes the pain is a purchase. I know it’s hard to understand. So I had to learn to look at it to get through.
Tyler previously spoke to Oprah about the horrific sexual and physical abuse he suffered from a young age, calling his childhood “a living hell” in the 2010 interview. He is seen as a child
He said he was first molested by an adult male neighbor when he was five years old and that he was sexually assaulted several times during his childhood. He is seen as a child
The producer also claimed that his father often hit him, and at one point he said the abuse was so bad that he passed out for three days
“All this pain, this hell, this struggle … If I had given up, if I had stopped, I would not have seen the better part of my life. So I bought some.’
“My life is now the happiest I’ve ever been, filled with joy and love, things I never thought I could achieve.”
Tyler previously spoke to Oprah about the horrific sexual and physical abuse he suffered from a young age, calling his childhood “a living hell” in the 2010 interview.
He said he was first molested by an adult male neighbor when he was five years old and was sexually assaulted several times during his childhood by a male nurse, a man he knew from church and the mother of one of his friends.
The producer also claimed that his father often hit him, and at one point he said the abuse was so bad that he passed out for three days.
“To this day I don’t know why he did it. But I remember him cornering me in a room and hitting me with that vacuum cleaner cord,” he recalled.
“He just didn’t want to stop. There’s all these welts on it [me], the flesh that comes off my bone. I feel like I died as a child.”
Tyler’s post came shortly after the release of the second part of the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix documentary, in which he discussed his decision to let the former royal couple stay at his $18 million Beverly Hills mansion after they decided to leave Britain and come to America.
Tyler’s post came shortly after the release of the second part of the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix documentary, in which he discussed his decision to let them stay at his home
In the documentary, Tyler likened what Harry and Meghan were going through to “abuse.” He explained: “She was abused. And so was he. I knew the symptoms’
They lived in his Beverly Hills mansion (seen) for a few months before buying their own sprawling $14.65 million estate in Montecito, California
Meghan explained that she called Tyler in early 2020 and “cried and cried” while voicing some of her fears about leaving the monarchy.
At the time, the couple – and their young son Archie – were living in Canada, but Harry explained that “everyone in the world knew where they were” and they were left “with no shelter and no security”.
In the documentary, Tyler likened what Harry and Meghan were going through to “abuse.”
“She was abused. And so was he. I knew the symptoms, I saw them. I saw my mother abused for years,” he said.
“To use the institution to try and do all the things that a batterer would do, like, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to cut the money, we’re not going to leave you behind for sure, we’re going to do anything those things to make you comply and come back.”
“And that they both have the wherewithal to say, ‘I don’t care if it’s the palace, I’m out of here.’ I welcomed that.”
Meghan recalled Tyler asking her, “What can I do to make it easier? How can I help you?’
“He was like, ‘My house is safe and I’ll make sure you’re safe. Take your time.” I said, “We only have to stay a week, we can find an apartment,” she continued.
“He said, ‘You won’t stay just a week, you will stay as long as you need and I will get you there safely. And I’ll keep you safe there until you need to go somewhere.”‘
“They just wanted to be free. Be free to love and be happy. They didn’t have a plan. There was no plan,’ Tyler added.
They lived there for a few months before buying their own sprawling $14.65 million estate in Montecito, California.
If you or a loved one needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.