Teddy Pendergrass' Widow Says Tyrese Is Incapable Of Getting Movie Made

Tyrese Gibson is entangled in a legal feud with Joan Pendergrass, the widow of the late R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass. The dispute revolves around the movie rights to Teddy Pendergrass’ life, and it has taken a turn with accusations of incompetence and poor business regimen. Joan Pendergrass has filed documents branding Tyrese as a “poor businessman” and claiming he is “incapable of getting a movie made.” These allegations are part of Joan’s effort to have Tyrese’s lawsuit thrown out of court. Earlier this year, Tyrese initiated legal action against Joan, asserting that she excluded him from Teddy Pendergrass’ biopic despite his significant financial investment in the project. Tyrese, through his company Voltron Entertainment, alleged that he secured the rights to Teddy’s life in a 2011 deal with Joan. The agreement purportedly granted him the right to produce both a book and a movie in exchange for his substantial investment. Tyrese claimed to have invested $450,000 of his own money over the past decade while working on the biopic. However, in 2022, Joan allegedly refused to extend the deal, leading to Tyrese’s lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages. Joan, in response, denied any wrongdoing and contended that Tyrese relinquished his rights to Teddy’s life story in a 2019 agreement with Warner Bros. According to her, Voltron’s deal with Warner Bros superseded any claim Tyrese had through their 2011 agreement in the recent filing, Joan intensified her critique of Tyrese’s capabilities, stating that in 2019, Voltron and Tyrese were “proven incompetent at putting together a movie project about Teddy Pendergrass.” She expressed doubt about Tyrese’s business acumen and alleged that his association with the project hindered its success rather than helping it. Joan detailed a series of events, including Voltron’s assignment of rights to Warner Bros for $85,000 and subsequent dealings with the studio. She claimed that by 2019, she had become convinced that Tyrese was “a poor businessman and incapable of getting a movie made.” Joan demanded the dismissal of the entire case, confident that it would be exposed as a “meritless and vexatious abuse of the legal process. 

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