Tyler Perry Finally Shared Some Deets About His Longtime Love, Model Gelila Bekele

Gettyimages | Paul R. Giunta

Tyler Perry finally opened up to the public about his longtime love, Gelila Bekele, after being together for over a decade. Perry, who is a world-renowned actor, director, writer, and producer, has been tight-lipped about his relationship with the former model, only sharing tidbits of information with the general public. Despite being a well-known figure throughout Hollywood, Perry has remained very reserved in talking about his private life, even though he has been in a committed relationship for many years.

Gelila Bekele

Recently, Perry opened up in an interview regarding his girlfriend, and while he didn’t say much regarding the courtship, he did offer up enough in terms of the life that they share together as well as his plans for their future. Bekele, a 33-year-old former model, has worked for popular beauty brands throughout her career, including Pantene, Tory Burch, L’Oreal, and Michael Kors. But besides modeling, she is also an avid activist and documentary filmmaker, with at least three documentaries under her belt already.

Gelila Bekele - IG

Bekele started dating Perry in 2009 after the pair met at a Prince concert in 2007 according to Heavy. The pair even welcomed a son together in 2014, Aman, with whom they never really discussed with the general public. Perry said of his son on The Ricky Smiley Morning Show “I know there are no pictures of him, but that’s not something we do. We’re not the kind of parents — my son’s not famous. We’re trying very hard to keep him protected so that he can know who he is before he gets into the crazy bull crap of this social media world.”

Tyler Perry - IG

This also might be the same vein as to why Perry and Bekele are so private, as well. Although on an appearance on rapper T.I.’s podcast ExpediTiously, Perry was asked why he and Bekele haven’t been married yet to which Perry replied, “I have someone who’s wonderful and she’s getting her share of all of it.” By getting her share, Perry is referencing a cut of his $600 million dollar net worth, much of which is from the films he has made starring the famed character of Madea.

Gettyimages | Paras Griffin

Perry didn’t say much more surrounding his relationship during the appearance, except to reference co-parenting. Perry said, “Even my son, being in the public … She and I are really good about that, making sure at five years old, he’s protected, he’s clear about who he is before people start telling him who he is. I’m good with that.” While Perry doesn’t seem to have plans on being married any time soon, it seems that what he and Bekele have is much more than that.