Mabel"Madea"Earlene Simmonsis a character created and portrayed byTyler Perry.She is portrayed as a tough, street-smart elderlyAfrican-Americanwoman.[1]
| Madea | |
|---|---|
 Madea serving time in prison for committing a series of crimes as seen inMadea Goes to Jail | |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | Tyler Perry |
| Portrayed by | Tyler Perry |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Mabel Earlene Simmons |
| Family |
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| Spouse |
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| Children |
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| Relatives |
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Madea is based on Perry's mother and his aunt. In Perry's own words, Madea is "exactly thePGversion of my mother and my aunt, and I loved having an opportunity to pay homage to them. She would beat the hell out of you but make sure the ambulance got there in time to make sure they could set your arm back because the love was there inside all of it. "[2]
The Madea films and plays are comedies, but all contain serious themes and are intended to deliver moral messages about issues such as infidelity, spousal abuse and the consequences of one's actions.
Madea also appears outside of her movie universe in two sketches onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,in one occasion as the White House Press Secretary and the second cameo as herself, always aside Fallon's impression of then presidentDonald Trump.[3][4]
Fictional biography
editEarly years
editMadea was born inGreensburg, Louisiana[5]on June 26, 1935, and raised inNew Orleans, Louisiana,and it was confirmed inBoo 2! A Madea Halloween,when she went to a police station and saw her name on a wanted poster.
Her age varies in different movies and plays. Madea was 68 in the first play,I Can Do Bad All by Myself,as well asMadea's Class Reunion.InA Madea Homecoming,set in 2022, it is said she is 95 years old, but with a birth year of 1935, she would actually be 87. Which is still younger than Wolvi.
She is described as being brought up in poverty, growing up in ashotgun housewith her parents and siblings. Madea has stated that although her family didn't have much, they had love.[6]
When she was in her early teens, her family moved toAtlanta, Georgia,where they lived on the west side. She attended Booker T. Washington High School and was a cheerleader. InI Can Do Bad All by Myself,we learn that she once lived inCleveland, Alabama,but later returned to Atlanta.
According toA Madea Christmas: The Play,Madea's mother, "Big Mabel" Murphy, was ahookerduring Madea's childhood and was not at all religious. Madea grew up with little knowledge of religion, explaining why she has a tendency to misquote theBible.Madea makes frequent reference to herself once being a hooker and a stripper.
Her maiden name is not stated, but it is presumably either Baker or Murphy, the last names of her father and mother, respectively.
It is not revealed where and when she met her first husband, Johnny. Madea and Johnny had their first child, Michelle, as young teens, possibly 15 or 16. When Madea was 18, she got pregnant with her other daughter, Cora, through a one-night stand. Sometime later, Madea and Johnny had a son, William. All of her children are said to be married and had children. Madea and Johnny raised two of their grandchildren, Maylee and Vianne, after their daughter's death from drug addiction.
Criminal background
editInMadea Goes to Jail,we learn Madea's criminal record began at age nine with a charge oftheft.She was charged with her first felony at this age and her crimes began progressing toillegal gamblingat age 18, which later evolved intocheck fraud,identity theft,insurance fraud(related to her nine deceased husbands),assault,attempted murder,road rage(usually when Madea is in vehicle), and vehicle theft.
InDiary of a Mad Black Woman,Madea and her granddaughter Helen McCarter were both arrested and charged with "criminaltrespassing,recklessendangerment,criminal possession of ahandgun,assault with a deadly weapon, [driving on a] suspended license, expired registration, reckless driving, and a broken taillight ". This causedJudge Mablean Ephriamto place Madea on house arrest while Helen was placed on a bail of $5,000.00.
InMadea's Family Reunion,Madea was brought before Judge Ephriam once again after she removed herankle monitorin order to purchase her brother Joe's medication, in effect violating her house arrest. After rigorous efforts, Brian was finally able to persuade Madea to accept Judge Ephraim's ruling to become the foster mother of Nikki Grady.
InMeet the Browns,Madea was arrested for causing ahigh speed chasefollowing a routine traffic stop, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer while Joe fled the area claiming that Madea kidnapped him.
InMadea Goes to Jail,Madea was brought before Judge Ephriam because of the car chase in the last film. Because Brian and assistant district attorney Linda Davis brought up the fact that the arresting police officers failed to read Madea herMiranda rights,Judge Ephriam scolded the police officers that were present for that negligence. Because of this, Judge Ephriam lets Madea go on a technicality while suspending her already suspended driver's license and having her undergo anger management therapy that was overseen byPhil McGraw.Later on, she was arrested once again for removing a woman'sPontiac Solsticewith a forklift and damaging it in the parking lot of theBig Kmartafter the woman stole Madea's parking spot. She was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison byJudge Greg Mathis.This is later overturned due to the illegal tampering of Linda Davis and she is part of the "Georgia Seven" that are released.
InMadea's Big Happy Family,Madea smashes her car into the fast-food restaurant Snax out of frustration that the manager Sabrina won't give her food, even using excuses related to her Cadillac's technical problems in order to persuade the manager to give her food while waiting. No police action was brought up.
In the animated filmMadea's Tough Love,Madea is arrested forexcessive damage to public property(which she unintentionally committed while chasing after two unruly skateboarders Netta and Dang Dang), twobench warrants,25 unpaidparking tickets,and an unpaid speeding ticket. Judge Michaels sentences her to do community service work at theMoms MableyYouth Center. In addition, Judge Michaels had a special ankle monitor placed on Madea to make sure she does her community service and enlists two police officers named Fred and Frank to keep an eye on her. After Madea is filmed spanking Netta, Judge Michaels reassigns Madea to fulfill the rest of her sentence on house arrest much to the annoyance of Joe. Madea was released from the sentence when the truth about mayoral candidate Betsy Holliday's secret illegal activities were exposed proving that Madea was right about her.
Media and entertainment featuring Madea
editMadea has appeared in several plays (some of which have been recorded for repeated viewing), fully produced films, a couple oftelevision programs(guest appearances), one book and oneanimated film.The character made her first appearance in the 1999 playI Can Do Bad All by Myself,later appearing in numerous other plays by Perry, then appearing in films based on those plays.
Plays (including recorded plays)
edit- I Can Do Bad All by Myself— 1999
- Diary of a Mad Black Woman— 2001
- Madea's Family Reunion— 2002
- Madea's Class Reunion— 2003
- Madea Goes to Jail— 2005
- Madea's Big Happy Family— 2010
- A Madea Christmas— 2011
- Madea Gets a Job— 2012
- Madea's Neighbors from Hell— 2013
- Madea on the Run— 2015
- Madea's Farewell— 2020
Films
edit- Diary of a Mad Black Woman— 2005
- Madea's Family Reunion— 2006
- Meet the Browns(cameo) — 2008
- Madea Goes to Jail— 2009
- I Can Do Bad All by Myself— 2009
- Madea's Big Happy Family— 2011
- Madea's Witness Protection— 2012
- A Madea Christmas— 2013
- Boo! A Madea Halloween— 2016
- Boo 2! A Madea Halloween— 2017
- A Madea Family Funeral— 2019[7]
- A Madea Homecoming— 2022[8]
- Madea's Destination Wedding— TBA[9]
- Joe's College Road Trip(cameo) — TBA[10]
Animated film
edit- Madea's Tough Love— 2015
Television series
editHouse of Payne(guest appearances)
editIn theTBScomedy dramaHouse of Paynepilot episode "Bully and the Beast", Madea was the foster mother of Nikki. She factored into the plot through a school altercation between her adopted daughter and Curtis Payne's great-nephew Malik. Curtis takes a particular disliking to Madea who is not in the least bit intimidated by Curtis at all. Rather conversely, Curtis became intimidated by Madea and had nightmares about her.[11]
In the episode "The Wench Who Saved Christmas", Curtis tries to discourage everyone from having the Christmas spirit. He later fell asleep and dreamt that Madea was the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. In this form, she tried to teach him a lesson about his killjoy behaviour.[12]
In the episode "Wife Swap", Curtis' wifeEllachastises him for taking her for granted. That night, Curtis has an extended nightmare where he is married to Madea instead of Ella.[13]
Meet the Browns(mentioned)
editOn another TBS series,Meet the Browns,Mable is said to be the mother of Cora Simmons as a result of aone-night standwith the show's lead character. She is anunseen characterthroughout the series.[14]
Love Thy Neighbour(guest appearance)
editOn January 21, 2015, Madea made a special guest appearance in theOprah Winfrey Networkcomedy series,Love Thy Neighbor.The episode titled "Madea's Pressure Is Up"aired as part of the 3rd season ofLove Thy Neighbour.
Television late night shows-
editMiscellaneous
editIn a commercial forBET+,Tyler Perry explained this streaming service to Madea and Joe at the time when they were arguing on what to watch on TV.[15]
Cast and characters
editThis section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in multiple films and/or television series in the franchise.
- An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- Aindicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
- Cindicates a cameo role.
- Pindicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.
- Uindicates an uncredited appearance.
- Vindicates a voice-only role.
- Yindicates a younger version of the character.
Book
editDon't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings:Perry wrote the book in the character's persona. The book was published on April 11, 2006.
Reception
editIn 2009,Entertainment Weeklyput the character on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Whether she's going to jail or just opening up a can of whupass, Tyler Perry's Madea is the profane, gun-toting granny you never had but (maybe) wish you did."[16]
On April 1, 2013,Orlando Jonespulled anApril Fools' Dayprank, informing the public via hisHuffington Postaccount that he would be replacing Perry as Madea. Jones led the public to believe that the decision had come amid Perry's prior obligations, assistingOprah Winfreywith her strugglingOWNnetwork. As part of the prank, Jones released a photo of himself to the public in which he was impersonating Madea. In addition, he incorporated several pretend quotes seemingly issued by Perry, both acknowledging the news and giving Jones his blessing to continue on with the character. Unaware of the prank, fans responded with outrage and criticism. As result of increasing outcries from fans, Perry informed the public on April 15, 2013, that the news was untrue. Perry was quoted as stating "That was an April Fool's joke thatHEdid. Not true. And not funny. When I'm done with Madea, she is done. "[17]
Perry has been accused ofminstrelsyand playing into black stereotypes with the Madea character, most notably by fellow black directorSpike Lee.Perry's argument with Lee dates back to a 2009 interview in which Lee referred to Perry's films as "coonery buffoonery".[18]Lee equated the Madea movies with the old-timeminstrel showswhich lampooned black people as dim-witted, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious and happy-go-lucky,[19][20]and further stated that if a white director made a movie depicting black people in such a manner he would be ostracised.[18]Perry responded by stating that his films were meant as entertainment and should not be taken so seriously, saying, "I am sick of him talking about me. I am sick of him saying, 'This is a coon, this is a buffoon.' I am sick of him talking about black people going to see movies. This is what he said: 'You vote by what you see'—as if black people don't know what they want to see. I am sick of him. He talked aboutWhoopi,he talked aboutOprah,he talked about me, he talked aboutClint Eastwood.Spike needs to shut the hell up! "[21]Perry has been criticised for stereotyping black femininity using black masculinity.[22]Some critics believe that the characterization of Madea, in addition to other black women featured in Madea films, works to legitimise harmful and damaging stereotypes. There is growing concern around these depictions of blackness as critics believe they can have a negative impact on how black women see themselves in society and how they are perceived by others.[23]In addition, Tyler Perry's role as Madea has received criticism due to some viewing his cross-gender acting as a misappropriation of drag culture. Critics have alleged Tyler Perry perpetuates patriarchal ideology through his characterisation of Madea and her interactions with other protagonists.[24]
Parody and satire
edit- In theAmerican Dad!episode "Spelling Bee My Baby"(2013; S09 E14),Steve Smithdeliberately misspelled his words in aspelling beeso as to express his love forAkiko(who was also competing), instead spelling random Tyler Perry/Madea films.[25]
- The character was parodied onThe Boondocksepisode "Pause"(2010; S03 E07), in which a thinly disguised version of Perry named Winston Jerome (voiced byAffion Crockett) plays a similar character to Madea called Ma Duke.[26]
- Madea was parodied inThe Cleveland Showepisode "A Brown Thanksgiving", with Donna being shown to have an aunt called "Auntie Mama" (voiced byKym Whitely). However, it’s later revealed that it’s her Uncle Kevin (voiced byKevin Michael Richardson) dressing up as a woman.
- In theSouth ParkepisodeFunnybot(2011; S15 E02), Perry (voiced byTrey Parker) played his character Madea after being repeatedly paid byTolkien Blackafter every joke, and was trapped in a metallic shell by the Americans and the Germans to be left underground at the conclusion.[citation needed]
- In early December 2012, Madea was parodied on aSaturday Night Liveepisode by the episode's hostJamie Foxx.[27]
- Madea was parodied in the American satirical horror filmScary Movie 5(2013), directed byMalcolm D. Lee.Madea was portrayed by actorLewis Thompson.[28]
- Madea and Tyler Perry are both parodied in the spoof movieNot Another Church Movie(2024), with the name Taylor Pharry with the H being silent.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Austerlitz, Saul (2010).Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy.Chicago Review Press. p.444.ISBN9781556529511.Retrieved2012-12-30.
Madea avenging.
- ^"Tyler Perry Transforms: From Madea To Family Man".NPR. 2012-10-15.Retrieved2013-01-17.
- ^"Tyler Perry's Madea is Trump's new White House Communication Director on 'The Tonight Show'".Yahoo Entertainment.2017-10-10.Retrieved2023-11-01.
- ^Sedmak, Ryan (2016-10-10)."Jimmy Fallon cracks up as Trump calling Tyler Perry's Madea".Mashable.Retrieved2023-11-01.
- ^Parks, Sheri (23 March 2010).Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture - Sheri Parks - Google Books.Random House Publishing.ISBN9780345512598.Retrieved2013-01-08.
- ^Perry, Tyler (6 February 2007).Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited... - Tyler Perry - Google Books.Penguin.ISBN9781101218037.Retrieved2013-01-08.
- ^McNary, Dave (22 June 2017)."Two Tyler Perry Movies Get 2018 Release Dates".
- ^D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 8, 2021)."Tyler Perry Brings Madea Out Of Retirement For New Netflix Movie".Deadline Hollywood.
- ^Moore, Kasey (2023-12-19)."'Madea's Destination Wedding' Netflix Movie: Everything We Know ".What's on Netflix.Retrieved2024-01-15.
- ^"'Tyler Perry Fan Club on Instagram ".Retrieved2024-01-23.
- ^"Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Vol. 1: Episodes 1-20 [3 Discs] - DVD".Bestbuy.com. 2007-12-04.Retrieved2013-01-23.
- ^"Preview: Tyler Perry's Madea visits House of Payne - Today's News: Our Take".TVGuide.com. 2007-12-05.Retrieved2013-01-23.
- ^TV.com (2008-05-08)."Tyler Perry's House Of Payne - Season 4, Episode 1: Wife Swap".TV.com.Retrieved2013-01-23.
- ^"Meet the Browns TV show | canceled + renewed TV shows".TV Series Finale. 2011-11-18.Retrieved2013-01-23.
- ^"BET+ TV Spot, 'Don't Argue over Television' Featuring Tyler Perry".
- ^Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Characters, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, and Trends That Entertained Us Over the Past 10 Years".Entertainment Weekly.(1079/1080):74-84
- ^Scott, Tracy."Tyler Perry calls Orlando Jones' news 'not true and not funny'".S2SMagazine.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-01-28.Retrieved2013-04-16.
- ^abSpike Lee on Black Enterprise.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-21.Retrieved2012-12-29– via YouTube.
- ^The Coon Character,Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, Ferris State University. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^John Kenrick,A History of the Musical: Minstrel Shows,musicals101.com. 1996, revised 2003. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^Yamato, Jen (2011-04-20)."Madea's Tyler Perry Blasts Spike Lee: 'Spike Can Go Straight to Hell!'".Movieline.Retrieved2012-12-29.
- ^Copeland, Kameron J. (2017-03-01)."From New Black Realism to Tyler Perry: The Characterizations of Black Masculinity in Tyler Perry's Romantic Storylines".The Journal of Men's Studies.25(1): 70–91.doi:10.1177/1060826516641096.ISSN1060-8265.S2CID147315914.
- ^McKoy, Briana (2012)."Tyler Perry and The Weight of Misrepresentation".McNair Scholars Research Journal.
- ^Lyle, Timothy (2011).""CHECK WITH YO' MAN FIRST; CHECK WITH YO' MAN": Tyler Perry Appropriates Drag as a Tool to Re-Circulate Patriarchal Ideology ".Callaloo.34(3): 943–958.doi:10.1353/cal.2011.0135.ISSN0161-2492.JSTOR41243201.S2CID146524264.
- ^McFarland, Kevin (2013-04-29).""The Full Cognitive Redaction Of Avery Bullock By The Coward Stan Smith" | American Dad | TV Club ".The A.V. Club.Retrieved2013-05-25.
- ^Braxton, Greg (2010-06-21)."Aaron McGruder's Boondocks' lampoons Tyler Perry".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2010-06-22.
- ^McGlynn, Katla (2012-12-09)."Tyler Perry's Madea Meets 'Alex Cross' On Jamie Foxx 'SNL' Episode (Video)".Huffingtonpost.com.Retrieved2013-01-08.
- ^"Lewis Thompson | Actor".IMDb.Retrieved2024-01-15.
External links
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