Tyrese Gibson Breaks Silence On Bizarre Childhood Family Financial Strategy

Tyrese Gibson is spilling some serious tea on his childhood’s financial situation!

The actor revealed the hacks his mother used to get financial assistance from the government and his role in all of the theatrics. He described it as his first acting gig and his mother, Priscilla Tyrese, his first-ever director.

Tyrese Gibson, who got news of his mother's illness while filming a movie, eventually lost her after being in a coma with pneumonia in 2022.

The actor reminisced about his family’s money troubles and how he helped out by getting involved in a scheme crafted by his mom to get extra benefits from the government.

Tyrese recalled that his mom made him pretend to have special needs when he was eight years old to get that huge deposit from Social Security.

He shared that Priscilla told him to "play r-tarded" in order to squeeze out an extra $762 from the government’s purse and assist his hard-working mom in supporting the family.

Per TMZ, Tyrese seemed unbothered, retelling his childhood tales as he referred to the money as “government cheese,” adding that the government cannot arrest his mom now as “she’s gone.”

He also found a silver lining in the situation, calling it his first experience with acting. Priscilla was behind the scenes directing his every move.

Luckily, the late Priscilla stuck around long enough to see her son star in blockbuster movies and put his talent to good use. The Tyrese family matriarch passed away from COVID-19 complications and pneumonia in February 2022.

She was in a coma days before succumbing to her illness, and the singer described the death as the saddest moment of his life. Tyrese was reportedly hopeful for her recovery before her passing and pled with her to keep fighting despite doctors stating that the situation had gone out of hand.

The actor penned down an emotional tribute after his mother’s death on Instagram, admitting that the family was broken and could not believe she was gone. "May the lord Jesus Christ honor your walk with him and embrace you into the heavens," wrote Tyrese in 2022.

The TMZ interview is not the first time Tyrese has come clean about his past. Last November, The Blast shared that he did a full disclosure interview on the FAQ podcast in 2022.

He touched on racism in Hollywood and how including a cocktail of races was pivotal to the success of famous blockbusters—an obvious reference to the casts of “Fast and Furious.”

Tyrese also addressed the child abuse allegations from his former partner and baby mama, Norma Mitchell Gibson, that led to 100 days of separation from his daughter.

Fortunately, his relationship with his daughter Shayla Somer Gibson remained unaffected. He was also completely absolved of all accusations and walked away a free man.

However, Tyrese shared that he consulted a psychiatrist who advised him to use psych meds, which led to his breakdown, and lasted for lengthy months.

The "Baby Boy" actor has been involved in a legal drama with Norma, who resorted to procuring a restraining order for the actor.

The Blast reported that their issues began in May when Norma filed a defamation lawsuit and a restraining order over claims that Tyrese embarked on a smear campaign against her.

In her lawsuit, she listed five dates, "April 30, May 1, May 2, May 6, and May 7," and explained that her daughter, friends, family, and millions of others knew sensitive and false information that was meant to be out of public reach.

Norma added that his "public cyber harassment campaign" caused her emotional damage, and their daughter, Shayla, was greatly affected by his actions.

She implored the court to take charge and "order Tyrese to stop this and take down his abusive posts" and private information. Norma also wanted her ex to stop making demeaning comments about her and also stay away from their daughter.

Tyrese's relationship with Norma deteriorated to the point of name-calling in April when he shared the link to a motion he filed against her. The singer described his ex-wife as toxic and accused her of "blackmail, extortion, defamation, death threats, tax evasion," and forgery. 

He declared that his days of suffering in silence and living in fear of her were over, as he explained in the caption that "Everything in these court docs has real receipts attached."

Tyrese Gibson's connection with his mother is obvious, and there is no doubt that he misses her every day!