The President, accompanied by his family, US Ambassador Meg Whitman, and members of his delegation, paid a visit to the Tyler Perry Studio for a tour.
Ruto and his team were welcomed by American TV host Steve Harvey, who guided them during the visit.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Perry explained that his tight schedule prevented him from being there to welcome the visitors during Ruto’s tour.
“Unfortunately, I was fully booked, and I deeply regret not being able to rearrange my commitments in time to welcome President Ruto of Kenya, along with his family and delegation, to Tyler Perry Studios,” Perry stated.
However, Perry found a silver lining in the situation and mentioned that this incident has prompted him to plan his upcoming trip to Kenya.
He expressed his gratitude towards Harvey for stepping in to greet the President, highlighting that his visit to Kenya is now a matter of when rather than if.
“The positive outcome is that I will soon be making my way to Kenya! I am grateful, honored, and excited for your visit, President Ruto. Many thanks to Steve Harvey for filling in. What a wonderful opportunity.”
President Ruto, currently on a four-day visit to the United States, which includes an official state visit that commenced on Wednesday, engaged with stakeholders in the film industry to discuss potential collaborations for the growth of the local film sector.
Among the individuals accompanying Ruto were content creator Eddie Butita and President Ruto’s two daughters.
Perry is best known for his creation of Mabel “Madea” Simmons, a formidable elderly character, whom he also portrays as her brother Joe Simmons and nephew Brian Simmons.
Perry’s works range from conventional filmmaking to filmed adaptations of live stage plays, many of which have been turned into feature films.
Madea made her debut in Perry’s play ‘I Can Do Bad All by Myself’ premiered in Chicago in 1999.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Perry authored and produced numerous stage productions.
His breakthrough came in 2005 with the film ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’, based on his stage play of the same title.
Additionally, Perry developed several television series, notably ‘Tyler Perry’s House of Payne’, which aired for eight seasons on TBS from 2006 to 2012.
In 2011, Forbes recognized him as the highest-earning individual in the entertainment industry.
The following year, Perry established an exclusive multi-year collaboration with Oprah Winfrey and her network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
This partnership led to the creation of scripted projects such as The Haves and the Have Nots.
In 2019, he produced the political drama series The Oval for BET.
