‘Boondocks’ Spoofs Tyler Perry

I don’t write much about “The Boondocks” (or anything on Cartoon Network, really) because so much of the programming is fringe stuff that rarely makes news. But a spoof of Tyler Perry’s Madea character on Sunday’s episode is changing that, as white critics of Perry can easily be dismissed as “not getting it.”

In “Pause,” … a thinly disguised version of Perry named Winston Jerome is positioned as a closeted, cross-dressing cult leader whose love of the Christian faith is a mask for his true sexuality. Though the character bears little physical or vocal resemblance to Perry, the reference is obvious to those familiar with Perry’s work. The dancing Ma Duke is a clear parody of Madea.

The Jerome character wears a pink sweater, is surrounded by bare-chested muscular men and constantly proclaims his love for Jesus even as he attempts to seduce Granddad… The fame-hungry Granddad is trying out for a part in Jerome’s new play, “Ma Duke Finds Herself a Man.”

Near the end of the episode, Jerome bluntly asks Granddad for sex; the old man responds, “Do you mean to tell me that this whole cross-dressing Christian cult crap is just so you can sleep with men?” “Uh, pretty much, yeah,” says Jerome. [LA Times]

I appreciate that satire allows humorists to essentially call people gay. Because, seriously, just look at Tyler Perry:

If someone asked me to describe him, the first thing I’d say would be “gay Michael Strahan.”