Winfrey, Perry talk friendship and ‘rare’ place in power

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2009 file photo, Oprah Winfrey, left, and Tyler Perry arrive at the premiere of the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," at AFI Fest 2009 in Los Angeles. Perry has four shows on OWN; "The Have and Have Nots" and "If Loving You Is Wrong," and the comedies "Love Thy Neighbor," and "For Better or Worse." The Have and the Have Nots” delivered huge ratings, setting records for the network. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2009 file photo, Oprah Winfrey, left, and Tyler Perry arrive at the premiere of the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," at AFI Fest 2009 in Los Angeles. Perry has four shows on OWN; "The Have and Have Nots" and "If Loving You Is Wrong," and the comedies "Love Thy Neighbor," and "For Better or Worse." The Have and the Have Nots” delivered huge ratings, setting records for the network. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

By Associated Press April 5, 2016 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Friends who enter into business partnerships sometimes don’t remain so.

But Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, who started working together about four years ago, still manage to be BFFs. The secret? Keeping their friendship a priority.

Before he started producing hits like “The Haves and Have Nots” for her OWN Network, Perry and Winfrey met in her Chicago home to discuss what their partnership would look like.

“We sat in the room before we signed any deals. He actually said to me, ‘How are you going to feel when people come along and say I saved the network?’ And I said, ‘I’m gonna say, “Wasn’t I smart?”'” she said, laughing.

Perry is quick to dismiss such talk, giving Winfrey all the credit.