Tyler Perry at a Georgia polling place in 2008

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November 4, 2008
You may know him as a famous playwright, actor, director, producer and the creator of Madea, but when Tyler appeared on The Oprah Show in 2008, he added another title to that list—first-time voter!

Oprah said she was shocked to learn Tyler had never voted before.

Tyler said the historic 2008 presidential campaign changed his opinion of the electoral process.

"It's really easy to just say, 'Oh, I'm just going to register to vote and not tell a soul.' Nobody would have been none the wiser," he said. "But I just want everybody who thinks the same way that I did—who thinks that your vote doesn't count, who thinks that you're too insignificant to matter—that it's the wrong way to think."

Cameras followed Tyler to a Georgia polling place to document the moment he cast his first vote. After performing his civic duty, a volunteer gave Tyler a sticker he wore with pride. It said, "I'm a Georgia voter!"