In 2018, 13 siblings were rescued from years of horrific abuse at the hands of their parents, David and Louise Turpin. The crimes only came to light after one of the sisters escaped and called 911. Recently, it was revealed that actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry has been quietly “taking care of” the Turpin family.
David and Louise were sentenced to life in prison in 2019 after starving, physically abusing, and chaining their children to furniture in their home in Southern California. Tragically, this wasn’t the end of the trauma for six of the Turpin siblings. In October 2024, the foster parents of several of the children were sentenced for child abuse, ABC News reported. However, the kids now have Tyler Perry in their corner after so many adults have let them down.
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On December 4, 2024, Oprah Winfrey spoke about Tyler’s previously unknown acts of kindness for the Turpin family, People reported. The revelation happened at the Paley Honors Fall Gala in Beverly Hills, California, where Perry received The Paley Honors Award.
“Remember the Turpin children?” Oprah asked attendees. “Diane Sawyer did a primetime special on these children who had been tortured and abused and locked in their home by their parents. And remember, the one daughter escaped out of the window and ran and told the neighbor?”
“Tyler saw that special, and he reached out,” Oprah continued. “And until this moment, no one has known that Tyler Perry has been taking care of those now almost grown children.”
She noted that Tyler has been “making sure they have the financial, the psychological, and the emotional support to grow themselves forward.”
Oprah called Tyler a “quiet good Samaritan,” adding, “He’s the fixer. He’s the healer.”
“Most of his charity, no one ever sees or hears about,” she continued. “The majority of people watch the news and they think, ‘Oh, what a shame.’ Tyler watches and says, ‘What can I do to make a change?'”
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During an August 2024 interview for Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Perry spoke about helping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after they relocated to the US.
“It is very important for people in this business to have a safe place to land, to have a place where they can trust and talk freely and get advice that’s not going to be biased or from somebody who wants something from them,” he told host Ripa.
For Harry and Meghan’s wedding, Perry sent a message to the couple. He did so after getting “the tremendous sense” that things were particularly “overwhelming” for Meghan.
“I sent them a note … and just said, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m here,’” he explained. “And she called months later and just talked to me like I was a therapist you talk to and we just had a great conversation.”
After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal duties, they took Perry up on his offer. The royal couple ended up staying at his Los Angeles mansion amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
“They hid out at my house for a long time,” Perry told Kelly. “It was so great.”
Ultimately, Meghan and Harry asked him to be the godfather of their daughter, Princess Lilibet.
