CNN anchor Chris Wallace confronted filmmaker and media entrepreneur Tyler Perry with the oft-lobbed criticism that his Madea persona promotes bad stereotypes, and cited Spike Lee‘s description of Perry’s portrayal as “coonery buffoonery.”

Wallace’s series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace debuted on HBO Max this week, and the first batch of episodes options an in-depth interview with Perry.

In one riveting section of the interview, Perry opened up to Wallace in regards to the abuse he suffered by the hands of his father, and praised his mom’s role in his success:

WALLACE: When you take a look at that, little boy that’s you five, what do you suppose? What do you what do you say, from this vantage point to that about your five yr outdated self?

PERRY: That’s that’s exhausting for me to take a look at my child, I appear so much Jesus, I seem so much like my son. The wonderful thing about having a baby now seven 12 months previous is I get to claim all those issues that I didn’t get to claim to, to my younger self, so I think like it’s helping to heal a number of wounds.

WALLACE: Have you come to phrases with the fact that you didn’t get that out of your father? Or is it nonetheless an open wound?

PERRY: I’ve come to terms with it and however the fantastic thing about it’s having my son I’m telling you each time I say I like him, I believe, I feel that being stated to the little boy in me.

PERRY: My father incessantly, he sent a message to me a number of years in the past via my brother saying, if I beat your ass one more time, you would be Barack Obama, meaning that he thinks that his abuse brought me to success. But he completely negates the love of my mother. And the love of my mother is what brought me right here. It wasn’t the abuse. It wasn’t the rage and the anger. It used to be her love that introduced me to this situation.

Mr. Wallace additionally asked Mr. Perry a few well-trod matter: the aforementioned criticism exemplified through Mr. Lee’s 2009 comments, which he made in a 2009 interview with Black Undertaking. Perry as soon as once more defended his work:

WALLACE: Let’s get this out of the way in which. You had to care for this at some point. When Madea first began first came out, uh Spike lee known as it “coonery buffoonery.” And and over the years have been numerous people who say that you simply’re taking part in with terrible stereotypes of black males and black girls.

PERRY: Emasculating black man, I’ve heard all of it. Yeah.

WALLACE: How do you reply to that?

PERRY: There’s a undeniable a part of our society, especially black people in the within the tradition that they’re they appear down on sure issues throughout the tradition.

For me, I like the films that I’ve done as a result of they’re the those who I grew up with that I represent and so they, like, my mom would take me within the initiatives together with her on the weekends, she played playing cards with these women. Most of them have twelfth grade training, but their stories and the way a lot they beloved each and every different and how once they get sad about something and others would are available and make a funny story. I’m 5 years old on the ground with my Matchbox playing cards. I used to be in a masterclass for my existence. So when anyone says this is this your your harkening back to a point of our life that we don’t need to discuss it. We don’t need the arena to peer you’re disregarding the tales of millions and thousands and thousands of black folks. And that’s why I believe it’s been so successful as a result of it resonates with a lot of us who know these ladies in these experiences and uncle joe and so on etc. But it surely additionally goes again um the Harlem renaissance and Langston Hughes and Zora Neale hurston, Langston Hughes said that Zora Neale hurston was a new version of the Darkie. Langston used to be northern, very subtle, Zora Neale from the South. Her personality spoke in a southern dialect. So that is this can be a dialog that’s been occurring long ahead of Spike lee and Tyler Perry. It is what it is. But what is essential to me is that I’m honoring the those who got here up and taught and and and made me who I am.

Watch above via HBO Max and CNN.

The put up WATCH Chris Wallace Confront Tyler Perry Over Criticism of Madea Personality: ‘Spike Lee Referred to as It Coonery Buffoonery’ first seemed on Mediaite.