Tyler Perry has stepped up to support the family of 18-year-old Mississippi student Nolan Xavier Wells as new details emerge.
The Atlanta filmmaker, known for supporting the arts and causes dear to his heart, has teamed up with Colin Kaepernick to cover any costs related to the promising athlete’s passing.
What happened to Wells on Horn Island, Mississippi, is still a mystery after police took more than a day to find his body in the water not far from the shore of the remote Gulf Coast barrier island.
Wells had attended an Independence Day celebration with a group of friends. He was the only Black boy shown in photos circulating online with three white boys.
Perry’s contribution was announced on Friday, July 10, at a press conference by Al Sharpton.
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While standing alongside Wells’ parents and civil rights activist Ben Crump, who served as the family’s attorney, Sharpton addressed the crowd at the National Action Network headquarters in New York.
He revealed that he would officiate the funeral and that Perry would pay for it.
“We just got off the phone with Tyler Perry, the actor, who says he wants to help cover whatever expenses for the funeral,” Sharpton said.
Perry issued a statement later on Facebook, detailing what has him so closely tied to Nolan’s story.
He began, “As a son of the South and a person who to this day questions the death of my nephew in a Louisiana prison.”
Gavin Porter, 26, died in prison while serving a 20-year sentence for fatally shooting his father in front of his mother, Perry’s sister, in 2016. A Union Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told E! News that officials found Porter hanging.
Perry called himself an advocate who has spent years fighting for another case that began in 2004.
Terrance Williams is one of two men who vanished in Naples, Florida, after separate encounters with Collier County Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Calkins.
Williams, 27, and Felipe Santos both disappeared after they were last seen in the back of Calkins’ patrol car.
For two decades, Terrance’s mother, Marcia Williams, and Perry have fought for answers about her son’s disappearance.
“I know what it’s like to not have the answers that loved ones so desperately need,” the 56-year-old explained.
“The agony is debilitating,” Perry stated. “It is my hope that Nolan’s parents and all who knew and loved him get to the truth of what happened in Mississippi.”
Sharpton also revealed that former NFL star Colin Kaepernick will pay for the independent autopsy the family requested.
According to The New York Post, officials flew the teen’s body to Washington, D.C., earlier this week. Forensic pathologist Roger Mitchell, the city’s former chief medical examiner, will perform the examination.
Benjamin Crump shared that Colin Kaepernick assisted in paying for Nolan Wells’ independent autopsy. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qqRGavWsSK
— Docket Diva 👩🏾⚖️ (@_LaJanee_) July 10, 2026
But this isn’t the first time Perry or Kaepernick has helped other families tied to tragic moments.
The “Madea” creator gave an “admirable gesture” last year to Perfecting Church under Bishop Marvin Winans.
In 2023, Perry donated $2.75 million to low-income senior homeowners in Atlanta, who were at risk of losing their homes.
He reached out to Mayor Dickens to also pay back taxes as well as any increases in the property tax.
According to local outlet 11Alive, the filmmaker helped struggling families during the SNAP benefit freeze. President Donald Trump’s 2025 emergency appeal triggered the freeze.
Perry gave $1.5 million to six different charities and agencies that provide food and resources to those affected.
But he’s not the only one with a generous heart and wallet.
Kaepernick’s NFL career ended amid fallout after he kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
The civil rights activist has continued supporting causes that reflect his activism. He has donated more than $1 million of his NFL earnings to social justice organizations and backed dozens of nonprofits through his Million Dollar Pledge.
Kaepernick donated $100,000 to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Relief Fund in 2020 for families affected by the pandemic.
I’m donating $100,000 to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Relief Fund. Join us in our mission to help address the disproportionate affect the pandemic is having on our communities🖤✊🏾Use the hashtag #WeGotUs & tag @yourrightscamp after you donate so they can show you some love pic.twitter.com/yzcTlvw7mR
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) April 16, 2020
The former NFL star has donated more than $1 million of earnings to social justice organizations.
As he approached the final $100,000 of his Million Dollar Pledge, Kaepernick invited 10 friends to each select a nonprofit to receive one of his remaining donations.
Kaepernick has also supported causes such as Mothers Against Police Brutality, School on Wheels, and Youth Services, Inc. In 2017, he helped Turkish Airlines secure a plane to deliver humanitarian aid to Somalia, raising over $2.7 million.
Perry and Kaepernick cannot answer the questions surrounding Wells’ death. But their support has eased some of the family’s financial burden as they continue searching for answers.
