Tyler Perry Talks Being a Mentor After Jonathan Majors Thanked Him (Exclusive)

Tyler Perry stepped out for the NYC premiere of his new movie “Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black.”

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Tyler, who opened up about the importance of mentorship.

Tyler is known for lending a shoulder to young actors and up-and-coming stars like Jonathan Majors, the boyfriend of "Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black" star Meagan Good, who recently publicly thanked him for his support.

Perry stressed, “We all find ourselves in situations where we need someone, some mentor. It was Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson and Oprah and Sidney Poitier who did that for me, so I feel I’ve got to pay it forward. As I’m looking at people who sometimes make mistakes, sometimes don’t do the right thing, sometimes just are out of good judgment, it is up to us, this next generation, to make sure that we give them the information. So that’s what I feel like I was doing there, for sure."

Tyler noted that it motivates him when he hears stories about his impact on people. He said, “That’s what keeps me going, so that’s the only reason to keep doing this at this point. I want to keep hearing those stories, keep making sure that people are touched and moved and inspired and lifted and elevated."

Perry shared how he encouraged Meagan to be hands-on with the project, helping with producing and casting.

He said, “So many people want to ignore these voices of the actors and actresses, but they have so much to lend and so much to share, so I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I just want to say, ‘How can I help? How can I invite you in? How can I help elevate you so that when you hit this next level, the next place, people know you’re a real producer?’”