Tyler Perry gives TSA workers $250K in Visa cards after cash tip fails
Tyler Perry gives TSA workers $250K in Visa cards after cash tip fails
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAYSat, March 28, 2026 at 12:44 AM UTC
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After a kind gesture to airport employees in Georgia didn't go as planned, Tyler Perry found a workaround.
The "A Madea Homecoming" director tried to hand cash to TSA employees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 26, but was turned down due to federal rules, USA TODAY has learned. He later worked with the Transportation Security Administration to find another way to support them during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
And so the actor and filmmaker ended up donating $250,000 worth of Visa gift cards to TSA workers at the Atlanta airport on March 27.
The donation comes as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues with no end in sight, leaving more than 64,000 airport security workers working without pay.
Tyler Perry attends the 2025 Baby2Baby Gala at Pacific Design Center on Nov. 8, 2025 in West Hollywood, California.
President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday declaring an "unprecedented emergency situation" to reroute federal funds to pay TSA staffers. The move will allow TSA employees to get their paychecks as early as March 30 instead of waiting for back pay after the shutdown ends.
Collectively, TSA officers, who are considered essential workers, have now missed nearly $1 billion in paychecks since the shutdown, prompting many work absences as they find alternative forms of financial support.
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Tyler Perry faces $77 million sexual assault lawsuit
On Dec. 25, Perry was sued for $77 million by Mario Rodriguez, who accused the Hollywood director of making unwanted sexual advances after production of 2016's "Boo! A Madea Halloween."
In the lawsuit, Rodriguez alleged Perry invited the actor to his home to discuss future roles, only to sexually assault him. He also accused Perry of intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Mario Rodriguez, left, sued Tyler Perry, right, in December 2025 for alleged sexual assault and battery and sought $77 million in damages.
In Perry's legal response filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Feb. 27, he "vehemently" denied Rodriguez's "frivolous" allegations and called the sexual assault lawsuit both a "money grab" and an attempt to shake him down with "falsehoods."
"After being cast in a very minor role in a single Perry film a decade ago, [Rodriguez] repeatedly turned to Perry as his personal piggy bank," Perry's filing states. "When Plaintiff's repeated requests for more financial assistance were met with silence, angry at the loss of his golden goose, Plaintiff spun a false tale that the two had a nonconsensual relationship, twisting the true reason for the payments to ignite a media firestorm, all to fuel his final money grab and thrust him into the spotlight."
Perry's attorneys characterize Rodriguez's visits to the director's home from 2016 to 2019 as part of "a feigned friendship" in which "Rodriguez repeatedly preyed on Perry's generosity."
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyler Perry gives TSA workers $250K in Visa cards after cash tip fails
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