Tyler Perry is getting candid about making a big change in his life.
While appearing on a recent episode of The View, the 55-year-old director shared that he went to therapy for the first time in 2023, a decision inspired by The View co-host Joy Behar.
During the show, Behar reminded Perry of a question she asked him when he last appeared on the show.
@theviewabc #TylerPerry shares how taking #JoyBehar’s advice on going to therapy changed his life! #TheView ♬ original sound – The View
Behar said to Perry (as reported by Essence), “The last time you were here, you were talking about your documentary [Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story], and you bring out in the documentary the traumatic childhood that you had, and I said to you, ‘Have you gone to therapy?’ Because that seems to be my solution to emotional issues, and I always think it works.”
She continued, “It worked for me, believe it or not. So?”
The Beauty in Black creator admitted that it was her ask that pushed him to seek out therapy.
“I really took your advice. I went to therapy for the first time at 54 last year,” he said.
He went on to share that therapy has played a pivotal role in his ability to “really get in touch” with himself and his trauma.
“I’m living the freest, best part of my life,” he said. “I’d been bound by so much trauma, so much pain, so much heartache and heartbreak and, you were right, Joy. You were completely right, and I would recommend it to anyone — the right therapist. Because the wrong ones will make you crazy as hell. But the right therapist, yeah, for sure.”
Behar emphasized the value of therapy, particularly in creating a safe space to unpack traumatic experiences that may be difficult to explore.
“Or even understand it,” Perry said. “I knew all the trauma and I had all the bells and tools to understand it, ’cause as a writer I would always chase down the motivations of my characters, and I used that for myself. But I didn’t have the understanding of, now I have the information, now what do you do with it? So getting the information was so powerful.”
Perry’s latest film, The Six Triple Eight, is out now on Netflix.
