Tyler Perry Will Receive Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at This Year’s Oscars

Another year, another honor for entertainment tycoon, Tyler Perry! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that its board of governors has voted to present the filmmaker and studio head with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Along with Perry, the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) will be honored as well.

The Oscar statuettes will be presented at the 93rd Oscars, which is scheduled to air live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be broadcast in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

“There has been such widespread generosity in our industry that limiting the Hersholt Humanitarian Award to one recipient, this year, in particular, was impossible. So, we are breaking with tradition and giving two awards to honor that spirit,” said Academy President David Rubin in a written statement.

“Tyler’s cultural influence extends far beyond his work as a filmmaker. He has quietly and steadily focused on humanitarian and social justice causes from the beginning of his career, caring for people who are most often ignored. The work of the MPTF is more vital than ever, and the organization has gone above and beyond to help our community. The sheer number of individuals and families—from every corner of our industry’s workforce—aided during the pandemic and over the last 100 years is nothing short of extraordinary.”

This will be the first year that the award will be given to an organization, thanks to a vote by the Academy’s board of governors.

“For this year only, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award may be given not just to an individual, but also to a group of individuals or an organization in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry,” the Academy said in a statement. “The Board may bestow up to two Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards.”

In lieu of the Academy’s governors awards, an annual ceremony that typically takes place in the fall, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will be presented during this year’s Oscars.