Gronk has been crunk on Indy 500 raceday.
And he’s had Tyler Perry by his side.
While fulfilling his duties as grand marshal of the Snake Pit EDM festival at the 2026 Indianapolis 500, Robert Gronkowski introduced FOX Sports viewers to his new friend, Tyler Perry.
But when Perry came into frame, race fans saw he was not the filmmaker and creator of the Madea franchise.
Instead it was Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tyler Perry with whom the four-time Super Bowl champ was palling around.
The two jumped into a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter for the 38th Combat Aviation Brigade pre-race “Pace Lap for America” flight over the track to honor men and women in the armed forces and celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
The Shelbyville-based brigade is a unit of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Before boarding the chopper with Perry, Gronk said he was feeling “really delightful.”
“I thought the (Oscar Mayer) Wienie 500 was last Friday; but out here, I’m seeing wieners, buns and everything in between,” he shared.
Perry, the filmmaker, also has a military tie.
He wrote and directed The Six Triple Eight, the 2024 World War II drama about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black, all-female battalion.
Contact Midwest Connect reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Gronk and Tyler Perry were hanging out at the 2026 Indy 500
Reporting by Cheryl V. Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
