By BlackNews.com
Nationwide — Anniece Tisdale, an 85-year-old grandmother from Nashville, Tennessee, was brought to tears back in December when filmmaker Tyler Perry stepped in to pay off her mortgage.
After a home renovation project went wrong and left her homeless, his help turned her life around. Tisdale had lived in her home for over 24 years. In early 2024, she hoped to renovate it into a cozy space for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In January, one of her daughters signed a $200,000 contract with a contractor to get the work started. But the contractor was unlicensed and repeatedly missed deadlines. By October, the family canceled the agreement, with the house still unfinished.
The incomplete work made the home unsafe for Tisdale, especially since she has a prosthetic leg. She couldn’t live there and was forced to stay elsewhere for months.
“It is all tore up,” Tisdale told WSMV. “I may fall.”
In February 2025, Tisdale appeared on the Sherri daytime talk show to share her story. During the interview, host Sherri Shepherd surprised her with life-changing news: Tyler Perry had offered to pay off her mortgage. Tisdale and her daughter cried on air as they heard the announcement.
Perry reportedly learned about her situation through news coverage that began in December 2024. For Tisdale, the gesture felt personal. She believed her late daughter, who died of a heart attack years ago, had somehow guided this moment. She also remembered attending one of Perry’s plays with that same daughter more than a decade ago.
Now, thanks to Perry’s help, Tisdale’s home renovation is nearly done. The once-abandoned project is finally becoming the family space she dreamed of.
To show their gratitude, Tisdale’s family plans to donate the mortgage funds they no longer need to Habitat for Humanity, hoping to help others facing housing challenges.
First published May 13, 2025
