Three years after delivering a Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple,” Fantasia Barrino Taylor will star in her next big movie.
On January 6, 2026, Blex Media reported that the powerhouse singer, who won the third season of “American Idol” in 2004, will headline “Tyler Perry’s Gospel of Christmas” later this year.
Fantasia Has Said Tyler Perry Helped Her When She ‘Lost Everything’
In addition to Fantasia, “Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas” will feature a lineup of “gospel music icons and powerhouse vocalists,” per Blex Media, including Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Tank, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, Smokie Norful, Ann Nesby, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Ja’Kalyn Carr, and Dax.
Netflix’s description of the movie says, “The plot centers on a struggling pastor who inherits his family’s church in a broken New York neighborhood. Battling doubt, temptation, and a sinister adversary, he must rediscover his faith and the power of prayer to save his church, his family, and his community in time for Christmas.”
Fantasia performed at Perry’s Christmas bash in mid-December, and many snippets of her singing were posted by attendees. She posted her own photo with Perry on December 26 and wrote, “He gave 8k Diamond Earrings after mine were lost years ago. He has always taken care of me…”
In 2019, Fantasia said during an appearance on the Tammi Mac Show that Perry had been a “good friend” to her over the years, explaining, “He would call and check up on me. He was one of the ones, when I lost everything, he came and blessed me. And I thank him for that.”
Why Hasn’t Fantasia Acted Since ‘The Color Purple?’
Getty“The Color Purple” was Fantasia’s first movie since playing herself in Lifetime’s 2006 made-for-TV-movie “Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story,” based on her memoir. Fantasia received such acclaim for her performance in “The Color Purple” as the main character, Celie, that many thought she’d continue to seek out opportunities to act right away.
Playing Celie did leave her emotionally raw, but she told Variety in December 2023 that she was open to other roles, noting, “I want something very challenging. I want to step out and do a character you’d probably never think of me as.”
Fantasia then asked the outlet, “Was John Wick a villain? Maybe not, but he was kick-ass. I want something where I can kick ass!”
The powerhouse singer opted to focus on her music over the last couple of years, touring and working on her first album since 2019’s “Sketchbook.” She announced in April that she was working on a gospel album, per Vibe, and released the single “Have Your Way” in early May.
