“Madea is a cross between my mother and my aunt. She’s the type of grandmother that was on every corner when I was growing up,” Tyler Perry said on 60 Minutes of his most famous creation: the foul-mouthed, tough-loving grandmother Madea.
The Hollywood legend has now become synonymous with the very popular character, and ever since Madea emerged two decades ago, she has appeared in numerous successful plays, movies, and television shows.
The Madea movie franchise — aptly titled the Madea Cinematic Universe — has become a staple in African American cinema, and the comedy films usually feature deep subplots, ranging from infidelity to domestic abuse and even sex work. With the latest installment in the franchise, A Madea Homecoming, offering a fresh dose of hilarious moments and memes, fans who wish to relive their favorite Madea moments needn’t look any further than this list.
Here are all of Tyler Perry’s Madea movies in chronological order as well as where you can watch them.
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
After starring in a series of stage plays, Madea’s first appearance in a movie was in 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Although dubbed a romantic comedy, the film also addresses the issue of domestic violence and abuse. While it failed to resonate with critics, it was a commercial success, raking in $50 million against a budget of just $6 million. The film also stars Kimberly Elise, Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, and Cicely Tyson and was a hit with fans. It is currently available to stream on HBO Max and Hulu, and fans can rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and YouTube.
Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
An indirect sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Perry returned as Madea in 2006 with the hilarious comedy Madea’s Family Reunion. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film follows Madea as she navigates a family reunion while dealing with drama from her extended family as well as a troublesome foster child. This was the first film to be both written and directed by Tyler Perry, and fans can watch Madea and her family’s wild interactions on HBO Max or Hulu and similarly rent or buy the film on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and YouTube.
Meet the Browns (2008)
All it took was a cameo from the no-nonsense Madea in this film to light it up. While Meet the Browns only features the character for a little while, it is still regarded as a part of the Madea Cinematic Universe. The romantic comedy focuses on single mother Brenda Brown, played by Angela Bassett, who travels to Georgia to attend the funeral of the father she never met. She meets the boisterous Brown family and finds love again in the new town. The film is available on Starz and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video.
Madea Goes to Jail (2009)
Between Madea’s hilarious one-liners, Sofia Vergara’s portrayal of a sweet but scary serial killer, and a moving performance by Viola Davis, there’s a lot to enjoy in this black comedy. As Madea’s anger issues finally get the best of her, she is sentenced to prison, where she befriends some of the inmates. The film also addresses deeper topics like sex work and wrongful incarceration. Another hit with audiences as opposed to critics, Madea Goes to Jail brought in $90 million at the box office against a budget of $17 million. Like the first two films in the franchise, it’s available to stream on HBO Max and Hulu and can be rented or purchased on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and YouTube.
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
Sharing the same name as Perry’s first stage play is this Taraji P. Henson-led romantic comedy. Directed, produced, and written by Perry, Madea makes another interesting cameo in this emotional film. Henson stars as April, an alcoholic singer who is tasked with taking care of her niece and nephews after they’re caught looting Madea’s home. It also deals with domestic violence and abuse and features a brilliant ensemble cast including Adam Rodriguez, Brian White, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, and Marvin Winans. The film is available to HBO Max and Hulu subscribers and can be bought or rented on Apple TV, Amazon Video, or YouTube.
Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)
When her niece discovers that her cancer has gotten worse, the loud and brash Madea brings the entire family together to relay the bad news. What ensues is a ton of hilarious moments, as the members all bring enough drama and commotion to take the focus away from the reason for their gathering. In true Madea fashion, most of the cast are well-known actors and bring their comedic chops in full force. Fans can catch Madea’s Big Happy Family on HBO Max or Hulu, and like the previous films, can rent or purchase it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, or YouTube.
Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)
Who knew Eugene Levy and Tyler Perry would make such a hilarious pair? The two comedy kings star in this film, which follows Levy’s character, George Needleman, and his family, who are sent to Madea’s home in a witness protection scheme. Naturally, there are many laugh-out-loud moments, but Perry still serves up enough heartwarming scenes to balance this movie out well. Unlike most of the previous films on this list, Madea’s Witness Protection is not available to stream on HBO Max or Hulu. Instead, fans can catch it on Pluto TV, BET Plus, Roku, Peacock, or Amazon Video.
A Madea Christmas (2013)
The first holiday film in the Madea Cinematic Universe, A Madea Christmas follows the titular character’s journey to the countryside with her niece to visit the latter’s daughter. Beneath the surface, the film tackles race relations and brings a whole lot of Christmas cheer for a charming holiday watch. A Madea Christmas can be streamed on Hulu, Peacock, and Direct TV, with the options of buying or renting on YouTube, Apple TV, and Amazon Video.
Madea’s Tough Love (2015)
This direct-to-video animated film follows Madea as she disciplines troublesome kids and later attempts to help them save their struggling youth center. The film is available to watch on Tubi, but can also be bought or rented on Redbox, Amazon Video, and Apple TV.
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)
Perry’s second holiday-themed film, Boo! A Madea Halloween sees the famous character as the butt of the pranks of vengeful teenagers. After crashing and shutting down a frat party, a group of college students set up elaborate tricks against Madea, sending her into a spooked out frenzy. The film features mostly younger cast members and provides a fresh take on the Madea films. To join in on all the scary fun, fans can stream the film on Peacock.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017)
Since one horror comedy is never enough, Perry returned as Madea a year later for Boo 2!, which finds her and her friends visiting a haunted campsite and losing their cool every step of the way. There is a fun mix of humor and horror in the film, with Madea providing her signature curses and comedic relief. Unfortunately, the film isn’t available to stream anywhere as of now, but it can be bought on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play, or YouTube.
A Madea Family Funeral (2019)
In what Perry had insisted was the last film in the Madea franchise, A Madea Family Funeral saw the return of some good old family mayhem. In this film, a family reunion takes a drastic turn, as Madea and her friends have to plan a funeral for a recently deceased loved one. As usual, family drama and insane shenanigans make things more complicated than they should be. This film was the last Perry film to be released by Lionsgate, and the comedy is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Redbox, or YouTube.
A Madea Homecoming (2022)
Perry moved over to the streaming platform Netflix to release the 13th film in the Madea Cinematic Universe. As Madea is in the midst of her great-grandson’s college graduation celebration, family drama expectedly takes over and the popular matriarch becomes engulfed in a hilarious mess that makes her family as fun to watch as it was in their first film years ago. Fans can catch this film exclusively on Netflix.
Who knows? Maybe Madea will be back for even more tough love in the future! With Perry at the helm of his own ever-expanding MCU, anything is possible.