Tyler Perry is not married. The American actor, movie producer, director, screenwriter, and author has never exchanged wedding vows with anybody. However, he enjoyed a 13-year-long relationship with model Gelila Bekele, which resulted in the birth of their only son, Aman Tyler Perry.
Tyler and his ex-girlfriend cum baby mama met for the first time in 2007 but kept their relationship hidden for two years before going public in 2009. The couple went on to have a great dalliance that made many think that they were actually married. Tyler and Gelila decided to go their separate ways in 2020 but have maintained a united front for the sake of their son.
Is Tyler Perry Married?
Multi-talented American actor Tyler Perry is not married and has never taken any woman down the aisle. However, he was in a 13-year-long romantic relationship with an Ethiopian-American model, documentary movie maker, author, social media influencer, and activist named Gelila Bekele.
How Typer Perry and Gelila Bekele Met
According to reports, Tyler and his love interest first crossed paths in 2007. The former lovebirds attended a Prince concert that year, and nothing was heard about their relationship until 2009, when the news started making the rounds on social media platforms.
Many have since concluded that the celebrity duo fell in love at first sight but decided to keep their dalliance under wrap to avoid unnecessary publicity.
The Duo Dated For Over a Decade
If the speculations that Tyler Perry and Gelila Bekele started dating immediately after they met in 2007 are anything to go by, the duo’s relationship surpassed one decade.
From the point their dalliance became public knowledge, the couple had an on-and-off again relationship. However, in 2014, they made the conscious decision to start cohabiting.
Thanks to their live-in arrangement, fans started seeing them in the light of husband and wife, and needless to say, these claims began to ring true after they welcomed their son. People soon tagged them as “a sweet family.”
Before long, people started speculating that Tyler and Gelila may have tied the knot secretly. This claim caught fire on the 11th of June 2017 when American vocalist Stephanie Mills referred to Bekele as the wife of Perry. It goes without saying that the Instagram upload sounded like a tipoff that they secretly married after all.
While their dalliance lasted, Tyler Perry and his love interest barely mentioned their love life in the public space. However, they were severally spotted together attending public events, movie award nights, and functions.
They Are Now Separated
For the 13 years they spent together, Tyler Perry and Gelila Bekele experienced parenthood for six years, but that did not guarantee a longer relationship.
In an Instagram post dated December 17th, 2020, Tyler let on that he just became single and was wondering what life had in store for him. Fans wasted no time in digging for the reasons behind their split, and according to reports, it was all Perry’s fault. His hectic schedule made it impossible to maintain a good relationship with Gelila.
Despite their split, the duo have remained close friends and has been focused on raising their only child. On his own part, Perry has never denied the attraction that Bekele holds for him, and according to the American entertainer, he finds himself always going back to her.
Describing his baby mama as an amazing lady, Perry said she is someone he will continuously want to get involved with. In his own words, the actor said, “there is no other woman on planet earth he would wish to sire a child with than Bekele.
Does Tyler Perry Have a Biological Child?
Yes, Tyler Perry has one biological child, a son born during his relationship with Gelila Bekele. According to the American actor, he was engaged in a Facetime call with his ex, Gelila Bekele, when she broke the news of her pregnancy, holding a pregnancy stick that showed a positive result.
The couple’s bundle of joy eventually arrived on the 30th of November 2014 and was named Aman Tyler Perry. Aman, who has Oprah Winfrey as his godmother, was Christened the next year in November 2015. Oprah has been a lifelong friend of the movie star.
Aman Enjoys the Love of both Parents
Since his arrival, the 9-year-old Aman has continued to be a source of joy to both parents despite the fact that they are no longer together. The proud father once bragged about his son’s intelligence; talking to Kelly and Ryan, Tyler revealed how his little boy started reading at age three. The movie star was in an interview session with People when he described Aman as his healer, referring to the youngster as the one who will bring great joy into his life. Perry said watching Aman grow has been a wonderful experience.
Tyler Perry, who battled sexual and physical abuse during his formative years, said his child made him wonder how someone could possibly decide to be cruel to a child who is so pure. On her own part, Gelila has been doing her best to be a great mother to her son. According to the Ethiopian model, she would love to raise Aman with the knowledge of her country’s heritage, but her own kind of parenting won’t include those customs she described as being “silencing to children”.
Describing what she means, Gelila said her people’s culture is such that adults assume a know-all stance. Traditional discipline may not always be the best. Gelila said she desires to parent Aman according to whatever works with the little boy and not what they taught her as a growing child.
Since they welcomed Aman, both Tyler and Gelila have been doing their utmost best to make sure that the boy is shielded from the penetrating eyes of the public. The boy is currently in the process of acquiring his basic education, but the institution of learning he attends is not known.
Who has Tyler Perry Dated?
According to reports, Gelila is not the only woman that Tyler Perry has dated. Way before he met the mother of his child, the American entertainer was linked to movie star Tasha Smith who he constantly featured in his movies around the 2000s; it was during this period that they were speculated to be dating, but it was all just rumors as neither of them confirmed the claims.
Perry was also rumored to be dating television personality Tyra Banks, but they were quick to deny it. The duo was severally spotted together at several events and occasions.
