Tyler Perry has added another fold to his ever expanding portfolio of accomplishments as his new OWN series, “The Haves and the Have Nots” set a network record.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s Tuesday premiere drew 1.77 million viewers during its 9pm airing followed by an increase of 1.8 million viewers, beating out La Toya Jackson’s “Life With La Toya,” which previously had the network’s highest show debut with 1.8 million viewers.
The show is one of two shows a part of Perry’s exclusive deal with Oprah Winfrey’s cable network. The Hollywood titan shared his thoughts on collaborating with Winfrey in the latest issue of ESSENCE magazine.
“The most important thing about coming together was making sure we would not lose our friendship because of the business,” he said.
“We had to establish ground rules. The main one: Both of us have to continue to live in our truth. If she doesn’t like something, say it. If I don’t like something, I’ll say it. And we’ll figure it out and keep moving on.”