Key Takeaways
- Keisha Lance Bottoms named Tyler Perry one of ten co-chairs of her "Georgia's Promise" transition team on Friday, three days after winning Georgia's governor race.
- Bottoms beat Republican healthcare executive Rick Jackson by more than 8 points, becoming Georgia's first Black governor and the first Black woman to win a governor's race in any U.S. state.
- Variety called the Perry appointment controversial because of two lawsuits, a $260 million suit from Derek Dixon and a $77 million suit from Mario Rodriguez, both of which Perry denies.
- Tyler Perry is set to sit for an in-person deposition in the Rodriguez case on Dec. 9, and Bottoms will be sworn in as Georgia's 84th governor on Jan. 11, 2027.
Keisha Lance Bottoms is bringing Tyler Perry into the fold as she transitions into the position of Georgia’s new governor.
Speaking from the steps inside the state Capitol early Friday (Nov. 6), three days after her election, Bottoms named Perry co-chair of her transition team, which she has dubbed "Georgia's Promise." She introduced him as "an entertainment mogul who is also a huge philanthropic part of our Georgia community and owns Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta."
Perry is one of ten co-chairs. The others include Arthur Blank, Roz Brewer, Jason Carter, Michelle Nunn and Richard Cox, and the honorary co-chairs include Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, and Andrew Young.
"Now the work begins. Our goal is simple: to be ready to govern on day one,” Bottoms said. Her top priorities are affordability and the cost of living, access to affordable healthcare, and support for public schools, teachers and students.
On Tuesday (Nov. 3), Bottoms beat her opponent, Republican healthcare executive Rick Jackson, by more than eight points. She is the first Black woman to win a governor's race in any U.S. state, Georgia's first Black governor, and the state's first Democrat in the governor's mansion since Roy Barnes left in 2003.
Bottoms was Atlanta's mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later worked as a senior advisor in the Biden White House.
But Perry’s appointment has been controversial, with Variety calling it "a controversial pick given the disturbing allegations that the ‘Madea’ filmmaker has faced in recent years."
In June 2025, Derek Dixon, who acted in Perry projects such as The Oval, sued for $260 million. He alleges repeated sexual battery and assault going back to 2021. In December 2025, the case was moved to federal court in Georgia.
That same month, Boo! A Madea Halloween actor Mario Rodriguez filed a $77 million sexual battery suit against Perry and Lionsgate, which distributed the film. Rodriguez alleges years of unwanted advances, including an assault that allegedly took place at Perry's Los Angeles home.
Perry denies the allegations in both cases and has called Rodriguez's suit a "money grab" and a "shakedown."
Bottoms and Perry’s relationship goes back years. As mayor, she backed his studio on the former Fort McPherson Army base, saying, "Significant job creation such as this will create more opportunities for hardworking Georgians and surrounding small businesses."
She also made her first move into show business as an executive producer on his Netflix political comedy She the People, later renamed Miss Governor. It premiered in May 2025 and was canceled after one season. That month, she wrote on Instagram that she had been warned against taking the role.
"I was encouraged by some very well meaning people not to join as an Executive Producer of this project. But I have learned that intuition is a super power and sometimes what makes sense to you, just isn't meant for others to understand."
Perry is set to sit for an in-person deposition in the Rodriguez case on Dec. 9. Bottoms plans to name more co-chairs and senior staff in the coming weeks, ahead of her Jan. 11, 2027, swearing-in as the state's 84th governor.
