Tyler Perry's son: What to know about Aman (and his famous godmothers)

Tyler Perry's son, Aman, means the world to him.

Perry shares his only child with model and ex-girlfriend Gelila Bekele, who is co-directing a documentary on Perry's life called "Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story."

In the upcoming doc that's set to be released on Nov. 17, Perry is seen having a sweet moment with Aman who sweetly asks him why he works so hard.

"Why do I work so hard?" Perry responds, repeating the question. "Because I want you to have a really good future and I want us to have a really good life. We can travel and have fun and help other people. So, don't you think that's a good idea?"

"You're my hero," Aman adorably answers.

"Aw, you're my hero!" Perry replied. "I love you."

In 2017, Perry revealed how he found out Bekele was pregnant with Aman. While speaking to People, he said she held up a pregnancy stick while FaceTiming him.

At that point, Perry knew that his life would be forever changed.

“I’m like, ‘I guess this is happening,'" he remembered telling Bekele at the time.

In 2020, Perry confirmed he and Bekele had split after a long term relationship, but called her an "incredible mother" in a 2022 interview with AARP The Magazine.

Aman Perry was born in 2014. The 9-year-old's dad might be one of the most famous people in entertainment, behind the "Madea" franchise and a series of OWN television shows, but Perry said Aman is just a normal kid.

Speaking to AARP The Magazine, Perry said he wants his son to stay out of the limelight. “My son’s not famous,” he said. “I want him to have as normal a life as he can.”

“I want him to know what it’s like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was,” he added.

As a result, Perry keeps Aman out of the spotlight — meaning he doesn't share images of his son. That said, he does share stories from Aman's upbringing. Read on for a few.

Aman has famous godparents

During a 2016 appearance on "The Real," Perry revealed that the late Cicely Tyson was his son’s godmother, as well as Oprah Winfrey. "He's got great godparents," Perry said.

The "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" writer then shared the best piece of advice he ever got from Winfrey.

"The best advice she's given me is just living in the moment," he said. "Just be present of what is going on in your life. For me, I just want to make sure that I'm enjoying it as much as I can."

Perry said Winfrey sends her godson "so many books" to read. "She sends great gifts," he said on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Aman had a star-studded christening

In 2015, Aman's godparents and celebrity guests, such as Jennifer Hudson, Gayle King and Oliver Ripley, showed up to Perry's Beverly Hills home to see his son get christened in a church he built in his backyard, according to E! News.

"I enjoyed the most beautiful Sunday with all these lovely people! We had church, alright!" Hudson captioned a montage of pictures she took at the christening.

Aman knows what it means to be famous

During a 2022 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Perry said his young son already has an understanding of fame.

“I asked him, ‘Do you know what famous is?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s when a lot of people know your name,’" Perry said. “So I said, ‘You know, by that definition, some people think I’m famous.’ He goes, ‘Really? Can we finish coloring now?’"

Perry 'wrestles' with giving Aman gifts

Despite his riches, billionaire Perry said that he doesn't spoil his son. In fact, he told fans at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival that he's raising Aman to be “grounded and balanced," per People.

“(Aman) does not get everything he wants. For birthdays, he’ll get a gift or two,” Perry said. “For Christmas, he’ll get a gift or two. Because he don’t have a job. He ain’t got no money.”

However, Perry said that he still struggles with buying gifts for Aman.

"I have wrestled with, I want to give him everything because I didn’t have it,” he explained.

“But I also know how dangerous that is, because I have friends who have wealthy kids, and I want to punch them in the face,” he joked. “You know what I mean? These kids, they’re just ... they’re obnoxious! And I can’t raise that either. Because he’s a sweet boy with a very ... empathetic spirit. And we teach him about how people are all of us.”

Aman plans to walk in his father's footsteps (literally)

While chatting with Essence editors on their "Yes, Girl!" podcast, Perry shared an interesting — and perhaps prophetic — anecdote from a beach vacation.

“We were on the beach over the holidays and we’re walking up the beach … behind me he’s jumping up and down. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, I’m walking in your footsteps, papa,'" Perry recalled.

Perry's dream for his son is...

On Essence's “Yes, Girl!” podcast, Perry said he hopes Aman will be “all that he wants to be" — whether that means continuing his dad's media empire or not.

"In my mind what I would love to say is, ‘Here are the keys to the studio. I’ll be somewhere smoking a joint on an island, you go do this. I’m 80-years-old now, go do your thing. ‘ But, if that’s not his dream I just want whatever it is that he does to be special and amazing," he said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com