Tyler Perry Will Hang Up Madea’s Grey Wig In 2019

One of the most lucrative and longest-running drag performance of herstory is coming to an end. Tyler Perry claims he’s ending his long-run as the queen of family reunions, cookouts, prison, witness protection, Halloween and Christmas: Mabel Earlene Simmons aka Madea. Our Lady of Hellur will fade into the glorious sunset sometime in 2019.

Variety is reporting that the character whose been around since 1999 will meet her demise after 20 years of giving us the most solid old-lady drag performance on record. Tyler Perry will be doing a farewell stage tour and will release Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral next year, and these will mark the final times you will see Madea ever again. …Or until Tyler gets lit at a party and goes into the back of his closet to whip out that old lady wig and put on a show.

Appearing on Bevy Smith‘s SiriusXM show “Bevelations” Monday, Tyler said:

“I’m happy to kill that old bitch, I’m tired, man… I just don’t want to be her age, playing her.”

Tyler said that he had finished filming Madea’s swan song movie two years ago but didn’t want to release it too soon after 2016 and 2017’s Halloween-themed Madea movies. He also said he wanted to take the time to focus on some of his other projects like the movies Acrimony and Nobody’s Fool. Acrimony has 20% on RottenTomatoes, so I guess he didn’t focus hard enough.

The  Madea movies have earned more than $500 million worldwide. That’s a lot of lace-fronts, honey.

While it’s not clear if the funeral is actually for Madea or if she’s just attending someone else’s it’s sure to be a hot mess of sexual innuendo and fraught with racial comedy. It will also be the last collaboration between Tyler and Lionsgate, since he signed a new production deal with Viacom.

I wonder how Madea will go out. Maybe a shoot out with the cops? Or even driving off a cliff in some kind of uber-dramatic Thelma and Louise-type moment? Either way, it will open up Madea’s eventual return, because come on, when Tyler Perry wants another $25 million mansion, he’s going to dust off Madea’s wig for more checks. Zombie Madea’s Family Reunion. Madea’s Family Raising Her From The Dead. Madea Goes To The Seventh Circle Of Hell. Tyler Perry will milk coins out of Madea until the end of the time.

Pic: Lionsgate/Tyler Perry Studios.