Tyler Perry Covers All of the Layaways at 2 Atlanta Walmarts at a Cost of $434,000
Tyler Perry is spreading the holiday cheer one layaway at a time.
The Vice actor, 49, shared the news in a video he shared on Twitter Thursday in which he admitted he tried “to do this anonymously” but failed.
“Trying to do this anonymously but, um, due to some circumstances y’all know how nothing stays secret these days,” he said. “So, I just wanted to go ahead and tell you.”
Perry explained, “If you have a layaway at the Walmart at 844 Cleveland Avenue in East Point, Georgia — in Atlanta — or if you have a layaway at the Walmart at 7001 Concourse Parkway in Douglasville, Georgia — if you have a layaway at either place and it was in there as of 9:30 this morning, it was already in layaway before 9:30 this morning — I have paid for all of your layaways for Christmas.”
A layaway allows customers to reserve items at a store by making a deposit and paying the balance later at pick-up.
Taking a pause to stifle his laughter, Perry continued, “So, Merry Christmas to everybody.”
“You have to go into the Walmart, get your layaway, pay a penny — one penny — and you get your layaway,” he shared. “I know it’s hard times, a lot of people are struggling. I’m just really, really grateful to be able to be in a position to do this.”
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He added, “God bless you, go get your stuff, Merry Christmas!”
LeMia Jenkins, a spokesperson for Walmart, tells PEOPLE the Acrimony director paid about $434,000 in layaway items — products that were ordered by 1,500 people ahead of the holiday season.
“Tyler Perry’s generous donation is making an unbelievable difference for so many families, and we can’t thank him enough for his kindness,” she said in a statement. “The heartfelt excitement and joy we’re seeing from our customers as a result of his holiday gift has been touching.”
The company responded to the actor’s act of kindness, in a response posted on Twitter, “Anonymous or not, we hope you know that you just made Christmas for so many families. You went above and beyond. Thank you #SparkKindness.”