Tyler Perry is moving to Puerto Rico in early 2027. The announcement, comes from an exclusive interview he gave TODAY special correspondent Justin Sylvester on September 14, 2026.
In the clip, Perry confirms the relocation after being asked whether he ever plans to “chill out.” “Yes, I am officially — you’re the first to hear this — I am officially moving to Puerto Rico,” he said. “No, this is real. Yep, moving to Puerto Rico at the top of the year, and I’m pulling back a whole lot.”
The timing is personal. Perry turned 57 on September 13. He framed the decision around age, fatherhood, and a desire to step back from the relentless pace that built his entertainment empire.
Why Tyler Perry’s Moving To Puerto Rico
“Getting older,” Perry said when asked what prompted the change. “It’s time to slow down a little bit, enjoy more time with my son, and just take it all in.”
His son, Aman, is 11. Perry shares him with former partner Gelila Bekele, with whom he was in a relationship from 2009 to 2020. He has spoken previously about keeping Aman out of the spotlight so the boy can have a more normal childhood. In the interview, Perry described fatherhood as healing after his own difficult upbringing: “Having this opportunity and this moment to be a father and give him all the love that I never had has been really, really healing.”36
That theme also appears in the 2023 documentary Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, co-directed by Bekele. In one scene, a younger Aman asks why his father works so hard. Perry answers that he wants them to have a good life, travel, and help other people.
Perry also used the interview to close the door on marriage. Reflecting on the Why Did I Get Married? films (the third installment, Why Did I Get Married Again?, dropped on Netflix days earlier), he said that at this stage of life, “that’s not a good idea for me. So no, won’t be any marriage for me.”
Atlanta Built the Empire
Perry has been synonymous with Atlanta for years. He owns Tyler Perry Studios on a 330-acre former military base and has additional large holdings in Georgia. The city is where he went from living in his car while staging plays to becoming one of the most commercially successful Black filmmakers and studio owners in the industry. A move does not mean those operations disappear overnight; “pulling back a whole lot” suggests a reduced personal workload rather than shutting everything down.
Puerto Rico offers a different setting: Caribbean climate, U.S. territory status, and a growing film and creative-industries presence of its own.qP1i7 UfaWg
The Tax Conversation Happening in the Replies
Perry did not mention taxes. Some people on X immediately did. One reply to the original clip noted Puerto Rico’s low tax rates. The island’s Act 60 incentives have long drawn high earners and export-service businesses (including film and production work) with a 4% corporate rate on qualifying income and favorable treatment of certain investment income for bona fide residents. Rules have been tightening, and new individual-investor applications filed in 2027 face a 4% rate instead of the previous 0% exemption on certain passive income.39
Whether those incentives factor into Perry’s planning is unknown. He presented the move as a lifestyle and family decision after decades of high output.
How People Are Reacting
The news spread quickly, drawing a mix of responses. Some people welcomed a successful Black creator choosing to prioritize time with his child. Others treated the destination as the real story and speculated about taxes or Perry’s personal life.
Perry has stayed productive even while talking about slowing down. He continues to produce a high volume of films and series, many for Netflix and other streamers, and he remains active in philanthropy. The Puerto Rico chapter, if it proceeds as announced, will test how much of that machine can run with its founder spending more time off the mainland and with his son.
The move is slated for the start of 2027. Until then, the Atlanta studios and the projects already in motion are expected to keep rolling.
Perry has earned some rest for his hard work.
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