Tyler Perry Vs. Spike Lee |tyler Perry Spike Coonery Comments “pisses Me Off” 60 Minutes Interview Video (full) at The Insider

There is a new feud brewing about the depiction of African-Americans in Hollywood. Spike Lee spoke candidly about the stereotypical characters in Tyler Perry’s theatrical and television hits. The veteran director made a comparison between Amos “n” Andy and spoke about how he felt the images are on par with minstrel show “coonery” and “buffonery”.

Tyler Perry 60 Minutes on Spike Lee

Spike Lee recently blasted Tyler Perry in an interview with Ed Gordon on Our World with Black Enterprise,for making stupid black movies.Spike said:

“We’ve had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton [made Boyz in the Hood], people came out to see it. But when he did ‘Rosewood,’ nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us! You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and [Tyler Perry] has a huge audience. We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm Lee [would make]. As African-Americans, we’re not one monolithic group, so there is room for all of that. But at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to ‘Amos n’ Andy.’”

Tyler Perry was asked how he felt about Spike Lee’s comments and his response was that he was pissed off. Spike made some valid comments. It seems a shame that Tyler did not begin his response by saying that he respected Spike Lee’s body of work as a director and how he contributed historically to African-American cinema and the despiction of non-stereotypical characters. Hopefully both artists will find a way to work together in the future. Watch the Tyler Perry response and the full 60 minutes Tyler Perry interview if you missed it.

Tyler Perry got a chance to respond to negative remarks made last May by Spike Lee in regards to Perry’s work.

While discussing the state of black entertainment, Lee said that when he sees ads for movies like “Meet the Browns” or Perry’s TBS’ series “House of Payne,” he’s puzzled, calling it “coonery and buffoonery.”

“60 Minutes” correspondent Byron Pitts read these remarks to Perry during the course of his interview and asked for a response.

“I would love to read that to my fan base,” Perry says. “Let me tell you what: Madea, Brown and all of these characters are bait. Disarming, charming, make-you-laugh bait so that I can slap Madea in something and talk about God, love, faith, forgiveness, family — any of those things — you know.

“So that pisses me off, it really does because it’s so insulting. It’s attitudes like that make Hollywood think that these people do not exist and that’s why there is no material speaking to them, speaking to us.”

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