‘I Couldn’t Believe It’: Tyler Perry Pays Off Nashville Woman’s Mortgage

Perry offered to pay off the woman's mortgage after he heard her story. Now her home is almost renovated.

Film mogul Tyler Perry came through and paid off the mortgage for 85-year-old Nashville resident Anniece Tisdale, who was left homeless in December 2024 after a delay on a home renovation took a toll on her family’s finances.

In a February 26 appearance on the Sherri daytime talk show, Tisdale explained that she was determined to renovate her dream home for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. However, a contractor failed to complete the project, which WSMV reported caused the family to lose thousands of dollars.

“Tyler Perry is going to pay off your mortgage,” Sherri Shepherd told Tisdale and her daughter during their episode. Both women were overwhelmed with joy after Shepherd told them Perry heard about the family’s situation and that the actor wanted to “take that financial burden off” of the elderly woman.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Tisdale said WSMV about the surprise gift. “From you coming to interview me, they saw it on the news.” The station first shared the woman’s story in December, which garnered public attention. “They went through news clips and picked it out.”

Tisdale lived in her Nashville home for over 24 years before one of her daughters signed a $200,000 contract in January 2024 with the “unlicensed” contractor.

An initial completion date of May 31, 2024, was agreed upon for the renovation. However, the contract was terminated in Oct. 2024 after the contractor was not able to complete the renovation within the agreed timeframe. Tisdale, who has a prosthetic leg, couldn’t enter her home due to the dangerous state of the unfinished home.

Tisdale said one of her daughters, who died years ago from a heart attack, “was watching over me with Tyler and helped him bless” her with the mortgage gift. Her daughter died the same night she accompanied her to a Tyler Perry play at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center more than a decade ago.

The home renovation is nearly complete, and thanks to Perry’s support with the mortgage payment, the family’s spot looks “brand-new.” The woman said her home is always open for family and anybody who wants to come through.

“It is just something I am going to enjoy for the rest of my life.”

To show their gratitude, the family is giving money that would have been used on their mortgage to Habitat for Humanity.