Posted by | Ray Cornelius
If you were like me last week, you were probably glued to the television screen for the premiere of Tyler Perry’s two new shows on OWN. The Have and the Have Nots and Love Thy Neighbor both scored major ratings and set records as the two most watched series debuts in the network’s history. However, not everyone was pleased with Perry and Winfrey’s new union. In fact, one viewer has created a petition to have the shows removed.
According to S2S, Eva Vega has started a petition on Change.org to have Perry’s shows eliminated from the network citing they are negative portrayals of African-Americans. “Remove Tyler Perry entertainment from OWN,” says Vega. “His entertainment is hurtful to the Black community. He perpetuates stereotypes and has no place on OWN.”
Interestingly, Mr. Perry addressed this same issue during a recent interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter saying, “What I will not do—hear me clearly when I say this—is change what I do, the way I tell stories and who I am for anyone,” he told Oprah. “That would be ridiculous and suicidal.”
Perry also admitted during another interview with Jay Leno that although these are his shows, Winfrey is ultimately in charge of the content that airs on her network.
“It is OWN. It is the Oprah Winfrey Network, so I know how to lead, but I think anybody who knows how to lead, you should also know how to follow. It is her network, so I’m coming under her and what she wants to do. That’s what important is that I honor her and her network and what she likes,” he said.
Click here to see the petition.
What are your thoughts about Tyler Perry’s shows on OWN. Should they be removed?
