So here’s some good news that should be welcomed by everyone this holiday season: Tyler Perry decided to pay off a big chunk of layaways at Walmart.

Tyler, who is most known for creating the “Madea” character, and for appearing in groundbreaking movies like Boo! A Madea Halloween and Madea’s Witness Protection, decided to pay off close to $435,000 in layaway items at two Walmart locations in Atlanta. One located in East Point and the other in Douglasville. According to Tyler, he tried to keep the super nice gesture anonymous, but couldn’t keep it a secret anymore when word spread.

“I was trying to do this anonymously but oh well!!!” the 49-year-old said. “I know it’s hard times, everyone’s struggling and I’m just really, really grateful to be able to be in a position to do this,” Tyler said in the video which has been retweeted over 25,000 times. “So, God bless you, go get your stuff. Merry Christmas!” In order to pick up their items, customers only had to pay a penny.

LeMia Jenkins, the director of national media relations for Walmart, had this to say in response to Tyler’s gesture: “Tyler Perry’s generous donation is making an unbelievable difference for so many families, and we can’t thank him enough for his kindness,” LeMia said in a statement. “The heartfelt excitement and joy we’re seeing from our customers as a result of his holiday gift has been touching.”

Tyler Perry
Getty Images

Not to be outdone, Tyler wasn’t the only one paying off items on layaway as the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson also recently paid off 400 layaways at a Walmart store, totaling over $93,000. So it seems like everyone is doing nice things left and right. It will be greatly welcomed for more positive stories like this to hit the news radar rather than the other stuff we’ve been seeing lately.