On Saturday (Oct. 5), Tyler Perry celebrated being the first Black man to own a major movie studio. The event, which took place in Atlanta, brought out the industry’s finest, including an emotional Beyoncé.
While posting to Instagram on Sunday (Oct. 6), Queen Bey revealed how proud she is of the 50-year-old screenwriter. “Happy Sunday,” she began. “Congratulations to Tyler Perry on the opening of his studios. I could feel our ancestors’ presence. Surrounded by my heroes, I watched Denzel, Queen Oprah, Spike, Whoopi, Sir Poitier, Will, Halle, Dame Cicely and our angels John Singleton and Diahann Carroll honored.”
She continued, “The Armand de Brignac crashed against each soundstage as fireworks lit up the sky. Generations of blood, sweat and tears, success, excellence and brilliance. It makes me so proud, so full, I could not stop crying. Thank you my Virgo brother for so much love and passion put into every detail. My prayer today is that you will take it all in. You inspire me to dream even bigger.”
In addition to Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Cecily Tyson, Taraji P. Henson, Jill Scott, and Whoopi Goldberg were also in attendance. While speaking on the red carpet, Winfrey explained that she is proud of her friend’s accomplishments. “He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way or that way. He said I’m going to create my own way and as we can see here, become a force for himself,” she told The Associated Press.
A few months ago, Perry announced that he was in the process of building his studio. “When I built my studio, [it was in the] poorest Black neighborhood in Atlanta so the kids can see that a Black man did that and they can too,” Perry said at the time.
Check out Beyoncé’s heartfelt Instagram post dedicated to Tyler Perry below.