"What’s really the point of getting all that money?" — Internet divided over Tyler Perry saying his son flies coach, gets "books and LEGOs" for Christmas

Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry recently said that his son only gets "books and LEGOs" for Christmas and is only allowed to fly in commercial class. Perry's comments have sparked various reactions on the internet especially since he's a billionaire.

In an interview on The Sherri Show on December 27, Tyler Perry was asked about his son's Christmas list. In response, Perry said that his ten-year-old son flies coach and gets only books and LEGOs for Christmas. The billionaire also added that his son does not have lavish birthdays or Christmas mornings either.

"Once, this was about five years ago, he was complaining about flying commercial. (...) So they have been going coach for years. So that he understands I worked, he didn't. So when he works, he can learn that lesson," Perry said.

Fans took to X to react to Tyler Perry's words with mixed feelings. One X user wrote:

"Whats really the point of making all that money?"

"Why are we the only culture that want to watch our kids struggle?," another fan asked.

"Black people infatuation with making their kids struggle because they did need to be studied. I didn’t work this hard for my kids to live like I did," another netizen opined.

"Billionaires need to realize that they aren’t doing their kids any favors by making them pretend to be “regular people”. They have privileges more than anyone else, whether they get LEGOs or cars on their birthdays, and its better to let them benefit from these privileges than anyone else would do anything to have, than to posture like this," an X user wrote.

Meanwhile, some fans agreed with Perry's parenting styles:

"Only books and legos? Those are some of the best gifts bro," a fan chimed in.

"i guess that makes sense. the kid's gotta learn that money doesn't grow on trees, it grows on people like me," another user remarked.

"Good idea never let your child become that rich kid that thinks he can have anything he wants," an individual commented.

Tyler Perry has only one child, a son named Aman whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend, model Gelila Bekele. Aman is ten years old and was born on November 30, 2014.

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"My son's not famous" - Tyler Perry on why he wants his son Aman Perry to lead a normal life

Tyler Perry's "Divorce In The Black" New York Premiere - Image via Getty

In an interview with AARP, Tyler Perry once explained that he wants his son to lead a normal life instead of growing up famous. He said:

"My son's not famous. I want him to have as normal a life as he can. I want him to know what it's like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was."

When Aman was around six years old, Perry and Bekele broke up. However, according to PEOPLE, the couple "stayed close friends" and "their focus is on being the best parents they can for their son." The two are also in agreement about raising their kid as a down-to-earth individual.

"I think, when you have a team like Gelila and I are, she is very grounded and balanced at making sure he stays that way. Because I have wrestled with I want to give him everything because I didn't have it," Perry said during a Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival.

During a 2022 Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival, Tyler Perry once again explained his parenting style, claiming he teaches Aman to "struggle."

"We teach him about the struggle. We teach him about what a blessing it is to have anything! So he gets that, in this sense. And I want to make sure he maintains that," Perry said.

In the same interview, Perry explained his son "does not get everything he wants." The filmmaker explained that Aman gets a gift or two for his birthday as he does not have any money or a job.

In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Perry called Aman his "greatest joy", adding that even the things that "drive him crazy" about his son give him joy. Watching his son learn and discover more about the world has also been joyful, Perry explained.

Tyler Perry's son's godmothers are Cecily Tyson and Oprah Winfrey. Perry once revealed in a 2022 episode of The EllenDeGeneres Show that Winfrey sends his son a lot of books. He added that his son is "not online" and does not use an iPad and rather reads books.