Tyler Perry's kingdom is on fire -- and not in a good way ... the Atlanta studio complex where his popular "Madea" movies are shot caught fire Tuesday night.

According to reports, the three-alarm blaze broke out at Tyler Perry studios shortly before 9PM ET -- and one building had partially collapsed.

The studio sits on 60 acres of land and includes five soundstages, a backlot ... as well as Perry's offices.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and it's unclear what started the fire.



9:30 PM PST -- The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department just released a statement, claiming the fire was brought under control around 9:45 PM EST ... just an hour after firefighters arrived.

According to the statement, the blaze was so severe a fourth alarm had to be called.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.


Tyler Perry was confused, upset and a bit uncooperative when he was pulled over by two white cops in Atlanta this week ... this according to a person who saw the whole thing go down.

As we previously reported, Perry admits he made an illegal left turn as he left his studio ... but claims he was racially profiled by two "hostile" police officers ... who allegedly harassed the movie mogul during the traffic stop.

Malik Kadeem watched the entire incident unfold ... and called in to "TMZ Live" with the blow-by-blow ... saying Tyler upset one of the officers when he didn't immediately roll down his passenger window when asked to do so.

Kadeem also says the officers were "giving [Tyler] a hard time" during the stop ... until an African-American officer arrived to the scene, recognized Perry and defused the situation.

The ATL PD says it's still investigating the incident to see if the officers acted inappropriately. 

Tyler Perry presents ... a possibly racist incident with police in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Police Department says it's launched an internal investigation .... after Perry publicly accused two officers of racially profiling him during a traffic stop earlier this week.

Perry says he was leaving his ATL studio ... when he made a left turn from the right lane to ensure he wasn't being followed. Tyler explains, "It’s a safety precaution that my security team taught me."

But Tyler was pulled over by police for the illegal turn ... and claims he was harassed by two "hostile" white officers until a black cop arrived to the scene and recognized him.

On his Facebook page, Perry says the black cop "immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone. After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic. I said all of that to say this: do you see how quickly this could have turned for the worse?"

Tyler then wrote, "RACIAL PROFILING SHOULD BE A HATE CRIME INVESTIGATED BY THE FBI!!!"

For the record -- Tyler Perry did NOT get a ticket.

Reps for the ATL PD say it's looking into "whether any departmental policies or procedures were violated during the stop.”

Whitney Houston's body will be transported to the East Coast today on Tyler Perry's private jet ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Whitney's body is currently on its way to the airport -- and the plane will take off as soon as it arrives.

Sources tell TMZ, Tyler Perry rushed to the Beverly Hilton hotel Saturday as soon as he heard about Whitney's death -- and immediately offered up his private plane to the family.

We're told Whitney's funeral is taking place somewhere in New Jersey later this week.

Jamie Foxx and Tyler Perry are being sued for $1 million each by a prisoner -- who claims the duo jacked his idea for a groan-worthy new comedy ... starring Foxx, Perry, and Martin Lawrence ... all dressed as women.

In case you haven't heard ... the project is called "Skank Robbers" -- a wacky action comedy about two lady bank robbers ... with Lawrence's Sheneneh character from "Martin," Foxx's Wanda from "In Living Color," and according to reports ... Tyler Perry's Madea ... from every bad movie you've seen. The project is reportedly in development.

Enter Shamont Lyle Sapp -- who, coincidentally, says he's serving time in Oklahoma for 10 bank robberies -- he's filed a lawsuit, claiming he gave Foxx and Perry the idea for the project ... and they cut him out of the action.

According to the docs, Shamont had the idea to unite the three characters in one film -- but his version wasn't a comedy about bank robbers ... it was a drama about a mental hospital.

The lawsuit encapsulates Sapp's idea -- "A male white mental patient takes Madea hostage ... He deals with phone calls from the negotiators, as Madea actually pleads for her life in a very sad tear-jerking way ... Her pleas are to be very sad. No jokes at all."

Sounds like a blast. Shamont is also suing Fox Broadcasting and producer David Zuckerman for a total of $4 million in damages. Calls to Foxx and Perry's camps were not returned.

Looks like a bogus suit ... Foxx and Martin did a "Skank Robbers"  sketch for the BET Awards in 2009 ... which aired a month before Sapp even pitched his idea to Perry (below).

Kim Kardashian has already lost one man in her life this week, but she won't be losing another -- Tyler Perry is keeping her in his new film ... despite a serious outcry for him to divorce her from the project.

It was announced last month Kim would have a role in the movie "Marriage Counselor" -- which became even more ironic when announcing her split from Kris Humphries a week later.

Perry's fans have flocked to his web site, begging him to reconsider Kim. One post reads, "... why are you even considering putting no talent, show everything Kim K in a movie. I will not support that movie ..."

But Perry is standing strong, telling TMZ any rumors that say she's out are false. He added, "She is scheduled to work as planned."

Let's hope shooting on the movie doesn't go longer than 72 days.

Kim Kardashian had plenty of reason to celebrate last night in New York with hubby Kris Humphries -- not only was it her 31st birthday, but news broke she'll have a big role in the next Tyler Perry movie, "The Marriage Counselor."

Let the irony of that just wash over you.

A writer for Tyler Perry's hit show "Meet the Browns" is in the market for a new car ... because dude's old ride exploded in a ball of fire ... and TMZ has video of the blast.



Brian Ronalds' wife Stephanie tells TMZ she was making a three-point turn in front of a friend's Hollywood Hills home last weekend when the flames erupted from the engine of their Dodge Journey -- and seconds after she escaped ... the vehicle exploded.

Stephanie says they bought the SUV 6 weeks ago -- and claims Dodge did not inform them about a safety recall involving steering fluid leaking onto the engine ... which could spark a fire.

Stephanie has no proof that's what happened in this case, but says she's looking into it ... and adds, "I know in my heart the car is defective. I was driving it and it was fine until that point."

TMZ has obtained a copy of the gospel song Tyler Perry allegedly stole for his show "Meet the Browns" -- and let's just say Tyler's in for a hell of a fight.


Here's the song as it appeared on the TV show in 2009 (left) and here's the version Johnny Tyrone Stringfield copyrighted in 2008 (right).

TMZ spoke to Stringfield who tells us, "My family and I have always loved Tyler Perry -- and now we're going to love him a whole lot more."

So far, no comment from Perry's camp.

Tyler Perry is facing one hell of a lawsuit -- dude's accused of using a Gospel song on his show "Meet the Browns" without forking over any green to the guy behind the music.

It's all over a 2009 episode of the show, in which several characters sang the words, "The Devil thought he had me ... but I got away."

According to a new lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles, a songwriter named Johnny Tyrone Stringfield claims those lyrics came from his song, "I Got Away" -- a song which he copyrighted back in 2008.

Now, Stringfield claims Perry -- and the companies behind the show -- owe him more than $100,000 to make things right.

Calls to Perry's people have not been returned.

Tyler Perry used too much of the goodness of Jesus in his movie, "Madea Goes to Jail," at least according to a new federal lawsuit obtained by TMZ.



The suit, filed by the personal representative of deceased gospel singer/songwriter Bertha James, claims Perry lifted an entire verse from a song James wrote in 1950 -- "When I Think of the Goodness of Jesus."

The suit claims Perry pilfered the verse and used it in "Madea" -- specifically, "incorporating the entire Chorus in a monologue delivered by the main character in 'Madea" referencing her deliverance from a jail sentence and leniency for repetitive criminal conduct, in a staged court proceeding presided over by 'Judge Mabeline.'"

Bertha's estate, which is also suing Lionsgate Entertainment, wants unspecified damages for copyright infringement.