Oscars To Honor Tyler Perry For Philanthropy

ATLANTA — Film and media mogul Tyler Perry announced on Tuesday that he will be receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year’s Academy Awards.

The Atlanta-based filmmaker made the announcement during an interview on CBS This Morning. The honor is given, according to the Oscars, to an “individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” The award is named for the Danish actor and former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president who was an active philanthropist and led the Motion Picture Relief Fund for 18 years, according to the Oscars.

Perry, whose Tyler Perry Studios is located in Atlanta’s Fort McPherson neighborhood, has long been a fixture in the city, donating scholarships, food, clothing, and even homes throughout the community. In particular, the Academy recognized the work he has done to aid people struggling with “economic distress” and homelessness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perry has also lent his star power to the cause of racial reckoning, the Academy said.

“Tyler’s cultural influence extends far beyond his work as a filmmaker,” Academy President David Rubin said in a statement. “He has quietly and steadily focused on humanitarian and social justice causes from the beginning of his career, caring for people who are most often ignored.”

This year, the Academy chose to give a second Hersholt Award to the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Both awards will be presented during the 93rd Oscars, which will be televised on ABC on April 25.