Perry addresses the viral video he posted last week showcasing that he is the only writer on many of his shows.

Tyler Perry has responded to the criticism he received recently when he shared he’s the sole writer for many of his shows.

The viral clip Perry posted last week featured stacks of scripts which he admitted to writing alone excitedly. Numerous social media users shared that they disagreed with the entertainment mogul taking opportunities from young industry hopefuls. 

READ: What Good Is Tyler Perry's "History Making" if He Isn't Hiring Young Black Writers?

In a video released by ESSENCE today, Perry shared “I don’t know what people are complaining about because I’m writing specifically for my audience.” He also said, “What people don’t know is early on, I had a writer’s room and it was a nightmare for me. Not only that but I had writers writing shows [and] they were turning in scripts that didn’t speak to my audience and my ratings took a dip.”

Further in the clip he expanded on the idea of writing for his cult audience and said when his ratings began dropping, he started to write his own scripts again. The logic behind this was that he believed his audience knows his voice and that they wanted to hear from him. 

Lena Waithe recently commented on the viral clip while on a press tour for her upcoming BET+ show Twenties, reports The Wrap. “Every artist is different, and I gotta say, Tyler has been very supportive of me and a lot of other black artists,” she said. “I think Black Hollywood is a family. We have our issues like everybody else, but sometimes family business is family business. And also Black Hollywood is big business. My thing is, I cannot do everything by myself."

Later in the video Perry shared, “As far as me and my shows The Have and the Have Nots, The Oval, Sistas, the comedies, I’m going to write those shows. But there are other shows we’re developing at the studio where there will be writer’s rooms with other showrunners and giving other people opportunities to do that. " He also said, "The Haves and the Have Nots just returned to number one, The Oval is number one on Wednesday nights. I have the receipts, but I understand wanting other people to have the opportunities as well."