Yes it’s a war of words between the two directors as Tyler Perry expressed his frustration regarding Spike Lee’s constant talk and criticism of his films. Spike said that Perry’s films “harken back to ‘Amos n’ Andy’.”
Mr. Perry in the meantime defended his films saying they are both spiritually uplifting and fun, but his words for Spike Lee were blunt and harsh in a press conference to promote “Madea’s Big Happy Family”.
“I’m so sick of hearing about damn Spike Lee,” Perry said during the press conference. “Spike can go straight to hell! And you can print that. I am sick of him talking about me, I am sick of him saying, ‘this is a coon, this is a buffoon.’ I am sick of him talking about black people going to see movies. This is what he said: ‘you vote by what you see,’ as if black people don’t know what they want to see.”
Tyler Perry’s films are consistent high performance at the box office; all independently financed, they’ve taken in over $520 million in ticket sales over the past six years. He recently extended his deal with distributor Lionsgate, with whom he has worked with since 2005. Spike Lee is still critical of Tyler Perry in spite of that success.
Spike said: “Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavors, but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is coonery and buffoonery,” he said. “I know it’s making a lot of money and breaking records, but we can do better. … I am a huge basketball fan, and when I watch the games on TNT, I see these two ads for these two shows (Tyler Perry’s ‘Meet the Browns’ and ‘House of Payne’), and I am scratching my head. We got a black president, and we going back to Mantan Moreland and Sleep ‘n’ Eat?”
Is Spike a little jealous maybe of Tyler Perry’s success? I say both men hook up and produce a film together, now that would be interesting.

spike lee is the better producer/director. his movies have substance. tp’s movies are buffonery dressing up like a damn woman for comedy. minstrel show.
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Spike act like he “all that”. Why don’t he do something then….haven’t seen a Spike Lee Joint in a minute. He is just mad because Tyler is getting the funds to make movies and he is not.
Not a big Tyler Perry fan but at the end of the day he is making the money and he is keeping our actors/actresses working.
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spike ain’t made a movie in a minute and he have the nerve to be talkin shit about ty. wow.
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I love Tyler Perry, but can do without Spike Lee. Tylers movies are relaxing and funny, when I want to relax after a hard day, he is very therapeutic, laughter always helps. Which I cannot say for Lee, he likes to talk about struggle and all these depressing things, like we do not know, how depressing things are. Everything has its place and time, now its Tyler Perry’s time, Spike Lee’s time is gone.
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Spike Lee’s movies always seem to be screaming their meaning at you. No Spike sit down.
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spike lee is jealous of the amount of money Perry is making. I am not a big fan of Perry but the fact is he caters to the black community which I appreciate.
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Perry tapped stictly into the black market which is often ignored. Spike often got into the “why the white man didn’t acknowledge my film” mode which is a turn off for me.
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tyler perry sucks. I agree with spike. it is coonery.
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tyler perry sucks. I agree with spike. it is coonery.
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Exactly, just shucking and jiving and I’m sick of seeing it.
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spike lee is a great film maker, but he has a completely different style than tyler perry. i also think his criticism of perry is *mean spirited* and comes off as sour grapes
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All I know is that even with all his ups and downs, I would rather see a Spike Lee movie than a Tyler Perry movie any day.
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Lee is right. Even if Perry’s characters are based on actual people, he’s not raising the bar the same way that Lee does in his films. The message could not be more different. They are both proud people, but one encourages enlightenment while the other celebrates ignorance.
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Lee is right. Even if Perry’s characters are based on actual people, he’s not raising the bar the same way that Lee does in his films. The message could not be more different. They are both proud people, but one encourages enlightenment while the other celebrates ignorance.
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I agree, one attempts to tear down stereotypes while the other reinforces them. One looks ahead, while the other stumbles backwards. What is most unfortunate is how large Perry’s audience is when compared to Spike Lee’s.
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Spike Lee, who wrote and directed Girl 6 and She’s Got to have it, need to hush and gone somewhere and sit down.
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Perry’s television shows and movies, show the different *sterotypes* that do exist in the AA community.
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Sounds like Spike hates that TP is making comedy just for fun.
Smh…why tare down another brotha though?
Morning all.
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Morning Mama!
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Morning Ladies 🙂
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sup ladies.
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Good Morning.
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Perry is a clown and Lee is an artist. Two different worlds.
Morning Fam.
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morning fam…
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I hate stupid insecure bipolar ass BLACK men!!!!
Morning everyone.
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Good morning Yall!
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Wassup Fam? What it do?????
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MORNING!!!
Mahogany, Tabatha, Queen, Civil, Point, Ace, Bird, Wanda, Nicole and Sane.
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Wassssupppp people and you too Yvonne! 🙂
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Hey Everybody!!!
Ace
Bird
Queen
Anthony
Nicole
And anyone else that just snuck in!!!
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Heyyyy all!!!
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Good morning everyone…..Happy Hump Day
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Morning Everybody…
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Morning people.
🙂 just be happy u woke up dis morn
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Morning ALL Ya’ll 🙂 I’s bored
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Good Morning
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Good Morning all!! I’m tired…*yawns*
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GM Folks… Happy Hump Day…
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Good morning all!
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Hi everybody!!
How is everybody doing?
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Hey ya’ll!
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wassup ceo fam.
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Morning.
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Good morning to all my ceo peoples.
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wassssuuuuupppp ya’ll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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morning..wasup ya’ll.
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morning…
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hey erbody.
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hey ceo family.
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whatz good ya’ll
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damn spike lee but perry’s movies are more of the same.
Morning all.
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whatz good peopl.
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hey everyone.
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Hey ceo community, wassup!!!! (in my martin lawrence voice)
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Hay you people………….
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we late @Daisy, ain’t nobody up in here but us.
so good night 🙂
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I’m not a huge fan of either. But Spike kinda has a point. The reasonTyler sells is because his movies are the way America is comfortable seeing Black America and unfortunately the way Black people are comfortable seeing themselves.
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Hate to say it but I’m with Spike on this one. Perry’s films and shows aren’t funny or smart or entertaining to thinking people of any color.
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I think Spike is right, but the true solution is to rally behind new, creative, and innovative minority film makers and help them bring a more accurate portrayal of African Americans and other minorities to the big and small screen.
I agree Trace, both should do a movie together.
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Spike reminds me of the “crabs in a barrel” – as soon as one starts to climb out, the others pull it right back in. Happens in education as well when kids are accused of being “white” for working hard. It’s part of the sickness caused by racism. And white folks can’t fix this one.
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Yeah Trace, sounds like spike is a tad jealous.
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Tyler Perry’s work reminds me of that Spike Lee joint “Bamboozled.” And this is not a compliment people.
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They both come from different experiences Spike’s from Brooklyn and Tyler is from Louisiana.
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Let it go Spike we have enough haters without hating ourselves. Not crazy about TP movies though.
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There is definitely a divide in their class of entertainment. Spike makes you think while you laugh. Perry is stereotypes on a loop. He keeps repeating his shit while laughing str8 to the bank.
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You do vote with your movie ticket purchase and it’s disappointing that the people vote for Perry. There’s a better conversation we can have about the black community but very few people make it as far as Perry does to do that. I’m tired of him and Madea..no shade.
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Spike needs to stop whining and ask T. Perry for a job. hell he employing erbody else.
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Perry desperately needs new characters and new story lines. I had to stop watching his movies because they were so shallow, repeating the same story and predictable.
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Spike is jealous that goofy comedian (TP) is making more $$$ than him with …. well to be honest… garbage. Cause TP’s movies IMO are garbage!
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Forgive Spike Lee Fam. Prolonged courtside exposure to the Knicks can lead to brain damage.
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I will say this, though – as simple-minded and or as OLD as Perry’s audience is, at least they are entertained by the complete wastes of time and garbage he puts out. Spike Lee hasn’t assembled anything approaching watchable since “Malcolm X”, and the was shot 20 YEARS AGO!
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Spike go sit ur ASS down. Don’t hate on Tyler because your game is weak. I don’t see you employing AA’s like he does.
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I’ve been a fan of Spike Lee for a long time but it’s sad that he doesn’t have the grace to support another black director who worked just has hard as he did to etch a place in film.
I hate that our people can’t manage to give the next generation any credit, support or even a rights of passage because of their insecurities.
Sounds like he’s jealous cause Perry has hit his stride and is making good money.
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Sounds like he’s jealous cause Perry has hit his stride and is making good money.
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I don’t think Spike is jealous, he just doesn’t see things the way Tyler Perry does.
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The racist attempts to keep African-Americans down are so unnecessary when they clearly won’t even let each other succeed.
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huh…so AA are not allowed to criticize each other artistic mediums? Your comment makes no sense at all.
Noone and I mean noone is above reproach, including Spike Lee
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I’m with Spike on this one. I feel Perry is perpetuating black stereotypes. Worst part is, he think that he’s not.
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Spike Lee is a loud mouth but he is absolutely right on this one. TP need a new angle.
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Maybe Tyler Perry just wants to create comedies. Shouldn’t there be room for all different kinds of entertainment?
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There is room for both Lee and Perry in African American movie making. They are both creative and talented. Keep in mind not everyone has the same taste in movies. The one thing that does irritate me about Lee is how he acts as if you have to be accepted by him if you want to make an African American movie- as if he is THE expert on blackness.
Please!
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This whole “fued” that Spike started smacks of envy. I hope Tyler continues to grow and makes more movies. Spike? I could care less.
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Do the right thing, gentlemen.
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unfortunately nobody cares about tyler’s ass nor give relevance to historic ass spike. spike sounds jealous thou just like a real biatch!
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LMAO @ —–> “historic ass spike”
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spike lee had the joints back in the day but he need to let tp have his moment. even if it is coonery and buffonery.
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Damn!!!!!
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Damn!!!!!
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LOL that’s what I’m saying!!! I guess he really got tired of his ass huh?
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..Though several black film directors look to him as a mentor in Hollywood Spike Lee hasnt been too pleased with Tinsletowns most successful black filmmaker of the day Tyler Perry…Lee has been very vocal about his frustration with the images of black America shown in some of Perrys films saying We shouldnt think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make…but at the same time for me the imaging is troubling and harkens back to Amos n Andy. ..In response to the criticism Perry told a 60 Minutes reporter that Lees comments pissed him off and were insulting because he creates all of his characters as bait to get people talking about God, love, family and faith. ..
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While I usually support Tylers movie I am over the Madea movies
SN I like BOTH Spike Lee and Tyler I wish they would knock off the back and forth have an adult convo already.
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This nigga is so annoying! This plays/ movies/ tv shows are coonery and he’s sweatin b/c alot of black ppl ain’t fallin for it!
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@Xmen, that ain’t right!
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WHAT’S THE BIG ASS DEAL AND WHY IS TYLER BEING SINGLED OUT????????????????????????????????
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WHAT’S THE BIG ASS DEAL AND WHY IS TYLER BEING SINGLED OUT????????????????????????????????
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Cause they need to kill off Madea!!! That shit is old and he needs to stop promoting the chitin circuit to degarde black folks on the main screen. Retire her already Tyler! Start to do movies that make black folks look respectable on the Movie screen. NOT A BUTT OF JOKES.
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Madea is getting old. All the Madea movies are wack. Tyler acts like a girl instead of dealing with the criticism.
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Cause they need to kill off Madea!!!
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Someone please murder the BITCH!!!!
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WHAT’S THE BIG ASS DEAL AND WHY IS TYLER BEING SINGLED OUT????????????????????????????????
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Because TP Promotes coonery such as Madea Perry will fight tooth and nail to not come up with anything better. Coonery sells, just look at the rap charts. Say no to coonery.
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I heard that Tyler is already working on the script for his next film, “Madea Don Burnt the Collard Greens and the Hog Chitlins.” It should be theaters in time for summer.
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Spike don’t be mad.
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Coco,
He sounds jealous to me, Tyler keep your head up. Let the haters hate.
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I agree with Tamala,
Spike is jealous because Tyler has had more commercial success than he has!
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I agree with spike black people have got to do better. It is coonery and bufoonery at it’s best!
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Hey Tyler, guess what? Spike is correct 100%, Madea is coon & a buffoon,& I hope the movie flops.you sir are a great talent just like Spike, I only hope that you wakeup someday & see that you were being used, to make a fool out of your own people.
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Look @tp queening out….lol truth hurts
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exactly what i was thinking. it’s bothering him so much because he recognizes there’s some truth to what spike is saying.
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The principal remains the same. Black folks tear black folks down more than all others and Spike, rather than offer support, inserts himself into a role of judge and jury. I’d rather lift my brother constructively than tear him down. it’s ridiculous at this point. Allow that man room to grow before throwing your two cents in. If you, in the middle of a trial, have to deal with judgemental attitudes, it will affect your growth too. Spike, do us all a favor and get back to representing your people. “If I love you, I love you. But if I hate you…” Take your own advice, hypocrite!!
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TD Jakes has the right idea about making good wholesome black films (Jumping The Broom).
Maybe he should have a talk with Tyler Perry because trust I won’t ever be paying to see another one of his movies ever. Shyyyyit!
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